Object Type
This vase could function as a holder for dried grasses or peacock feathers, but it is also a decorative object in its own right. It would have appealed to customers who subscribed to the beliefs held by supporters of the Arts and Crafts movement.

Ownership
This vase is one of a pair bought by the Museum. It was made for the London retailers Liberty, and is stamped as such. Liberty's customers were relatively well-off and had aesthetic ambitions; they were consciously looking for artistic goods. They may have used this in homes furnished with Liberty prints and silver. With its rustic, hand-made appearance the vase conforms to the Arts and Crafts principles of pleasure in making and rejection of the machine. Queen Victoria purchased examples in 1885.

People
Charles Hubert Brannam studied at the school of art in his home town of Barnstaple, Devon, where his father, James, produced red earthenware at two potteries in the mid-19th century. In 1879 Charles took over the works in Litchdon Street, continuing production in traditional local styles, especially with sgraffito (scratched through) decoration. In about 1882, having previously experimented with art pottery, he expanded production into a line of art wares which at first were sold through Howell & James, London. Liberty's commissioned an exclusive range from the pottery. Brannam adopted 'Barum', the Roman name for Barnstaple, for this production, which by the 1890s included sgraffito, trailed slip (liquid clay), carved and applied ornament and deep-coloured glazes, especially blue and green.