Coffee Pot
ca. 1867 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This coffee pot is decorated with Renaissance masks and scrollwork and its form is based on 16th-century European ewers. Admiration for the Renaissance style in 19th-century mainland Europe was not shared in Britain until enthusiasts such as Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s consort, and Henry Cole, the first director of the V&A, promoted the style. English manufacturers often had to look abroad for skilled designers, such as Antoine Vechte, a renowned chaser of gold and silver from France who worked from 1849 for Hunt and Roskell, one of the most prestigious silversmiths of the Victorian period.
This coffee pot, bought by the South Kensington Museum (later the V&A) for £40 from the Paris Exhibition of 1867, shows the museum’s determination to acquire what it saw as the best contemporary design.
This coffee pot, bought by the South Kensington Museum (later the V&A) for £40 from the Paris Exhibition of 1867, shows the museum’s determination to acquire what it saw as the best contemporary design.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Oxidised silver, parcel-gilt |
| Brief description | Coffee pot, decorated with Renaissance motifs, made in Denmark, ca. 1867 |
| Physical description | Coffee pot in oxidised silver, parcel-gilt, decorated with Renaissance masks and scroll-work |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | Unmarked |
| Gallery label | COFFEE POT
Denmark: about 1867
"Oxidised" silver
Parcel-gilt
This coffee pot was purchased for £40 from the Paris 1867 Exhibition.(1987-2006) |
| Object history | Bought from Paris exhibition of 1867 for £40. The 19th-century continental admiration for the Renaissance style was not shared in Britain until promoted by enthusiasts such as Prince Albert and Henry Cole. English manufacturers often had to look abroad for skilled designers, such as Antione Vechte, a renowned chaser of gold and silver who worked for Hunt and Roskell from 1849. This coffee-pot, with Renaissance masks and scroll-work and a form based on 16th-century ewers, was bought from Paris Exhibition of 1867 for £40, an indication of the Museum's determination to acquire what it saw as the best contemporary design. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This coffee pot is decorated with Renaissance masks and scrollwork and its form is based on 16th-century European ewers. Admiration for the Renaissance style in 19th-century mainland Europe was not shared in Britain until enthusiasts such as Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s consort, and Henry Cole, the first director of the V&A, promoted the style. English manufacturers often had to look abroad for skilled designers, such as Antoine Vechte, a renowned chaser of gold and silver from France who worked from 1849 for Hunt and Roskell, one of the most prestigious silversmiths of the Victorian period. This coffee pot, bought by the South Kensington Museum (later the V&A) for £40 from the Paris Exhibition of 1867, shows the museum’s determination to acquire what it saw as the best contemporary design. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 661-1869 |
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| Record created | March 3, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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