La Fille du Regiment spill vase
Spill Vase
ca.1847 (made)
ca.1847 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The soprano Jenny Lind (1820-1887) was born Johanna Maria Lind in Stockholm and by the age of 25 was a leading figure of opera houses of Sweden, Germany and France. She was an overnight sensation in England after her first appearance in the country on 4 May 1847 as Alice in Giacomo Meyerbeer's opera Robert Le Diable, attended by Queen Victoria at Her Majesty's Theatre, when people thronged the Haymarket to glimpse her. The Times wrote the next day: 'that we never witnessed such a scene of enthusiasm as that displayed last night on the occasion of Mademoiselle Jenny Lind's début as Alice in an Italian version of Robert le Diable'. On 27 May 1847 she made her debut as Marie in the London premiere of the Italian version of Gaetano Donizetti's opera La Figlia del Regemento with Luigi Lablache as Sergeant Sulpice, after which critics lavished more praise on 'the Swedish nightingale'.
La Fille du Regiment was originally produced with a French libretto at the Paris Opéra-Comique on 11 February 1840 where it was scorned by the critic and composer Hector Berlioz but soon became immensely popular. It made its first appearance in Italian at La Scala Milan on 3 October 1840 where lukewarm reviews resulted in only six performances, but it was deemed a succcess in America when first produced in New Orleans on 7 March 1843 at the Théâtre d'Orléans, and later in its first New York City production on the19th July 1843. The story concerns a baby girl found on the battlefield in the Tyrolean mountains, who is adopted by a regiment of French soldiers for whom she works as a vivandière, or worker in the military canteen. When she is forced to leave the regiment and her lover Tonio, because her identity as a marchioness is discovered, she finds consolation in conversation with the retired Sergeant Sulpice at the Castle of Birkenfeld.
Staffordshire spill vases like this were popular mass-produced items in the mid 19th-century, made from moulds and based on contemporary prints. Intended to be kept on the mantelpiece against a wall there was rarely any detail or colouring on the backs, which gave rise to the soubriquet of some of them as 'flat-backs'. Commercially produced matches were still relatively expensive in the early to mid 19th century and vases like this were designed to hold the thin wax, rolled paper or wooden tapers or 'spills' that were used instead to transfer fire from the fireplace to candles, lamps, cigars and pipes.
La Fille du Regiment was originally produced with a French libretto at the Paris Opéra-Comique on 11 February 1840 where it was scorned by the critic and composer Hector Berlioz but soon became immensely popular. It made its first appearance in Italian at La Scala Milan on 3 October 1840 where lukewarm reviews resulted in only six performances, but it was deemed a succcess in America when first produced in New Orleans on 7 March 1843 at the Théâtre d'Orléans, and later in its first New York City production on the19th July 1843. The story concerns a baby girl found on the battlefield in the Tyrolean mountains, who is adopted by a regiment of French soldiers for whom she works as a vivandière, or worker in the military canteen. When she is forced to leave the regiment and her lover Tonio, because her identity as a marchioness is discovered, she finds consolation in conversation with the retired Sergeant Sulpice at the Castle of Birkenfeld.
Staffordshire spill vases like this were popular mass-produced items in the mid 19th-century, made from moulds and based on contemporary prints. Intended to be kept on the mantelpiece against a wall there was rarely any detail or colouring on the backs, which gave rise to the soubriquet of some of them as 'flat-backs'. Commercially produced matches were still relatively expensive in the early to mid 19th century and vases like this were designed to hold the thin wax, rolled paper or wooden tapers or 'spills' that were used instead to transfer fire from the fireplace to candles, lamps, cigars and pipes.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | La Fille du Regiment spill vase (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Glazed earthenware |
| Brief description | Glazed earthenware spill vase of Jenny Lind (1820-1887) and Luigi Lablache (1794-1858) as Marie and Sergeant Sulpice in Gaetano Donizetti's opera La Fille du Regiment, Her Majesty's Theatre, 27 May 1847. Staffordshire, ca.1847. |
| Physical description | Glazed earthenware spill vase representing Jenny Lind as Marie and Luigi Lablache as Sergeant Sulpice, standing each side of a hollow tree trunk with an orange interior and gold rim that serves as the vase. Marie is standing in an alcove formed by one of the branches of the central tree connected to a tree to her right, and they are both standing on a green-brown painted outdoor setting, scattered with clumps of vegetation. Marie wears an orange military-style fitted jacket and white skirt and is saluting with her right hand whilst holding a drum under her left arm. Sergeant Sulpice wears a military uniform comprising of a green jacket and white trousers and is holding a drum stick in his right hand and a drum by his left side. There is a single gold line painted around the white base. The back of the spill vase is uncoloured. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Credit line | Acquired with the support of the Friends of the V&A |
| Summary | The soprano Jenny Lind (1820-1887) was born Johanna Maria Lind in Stockholm and by the age of 25 was a leading figure of opera houses of Sweden, Germany and France. She was an overnight sensation in England after her first appearance in the country on 4 May 1847 as Alice in Giacomo Meyerbeer's opera Robert Le Diable, attended by Queen Victoria at Her Majesty's Theatre, when people thronged the Haymarket to glimpse her. The Times wrote the next day: 'that we never witnessed such a scene of enthusiasm as that displayed last night on the occasion of Mademoiselle Jenny Lind's début as Alice in an Italian version of Robert le Diable'. On 27 May 1847 she made her debut as Marie in the London premiere of the Italian version of Gaetano Donizetti's opera La Figlia del Regemento with Luigi Lablache as Sergeant Sulpice, after which critics lavished more praise on 'the Swedish nightingale'. La Fille du Regiment was originally produced with a French libretto at the Paris Opéra-Comique on 11 February 1840 where it was scorned by the critic and composer Hector Berlioz but soon became immensely popular. It made its first appearance in Italian at La Scala Milan on 3 October 1840 where lukewarm reviews resulted in only six performances, but it was deemed a succcess in America when first produced in New Orleans on 7 March 1843 at the Théâtre d'Orléans, and later in its first New York City production on the19th July 1843. The story concerns a baby girl found on the battlefield in the Tyrolean mountains, who is adopted by a regiment of French soldiers for whom she works as a vivandière, or worker in the military canteen. When she is forced to leave the regiment and her lover Tonio, because her identity as a marchioness is discovered, she finds consolation in conversation with the retired Sergeant Sulpice at the Castle of Birkenfeld. Staffordshire spill vases like this were popular mass-produced items in the mid 19th-century, made from moulds and based on contemporary prints. Intended to be kept on the mantelpiece against a wall there was rarely any detail or colouring on the backs, which gave rise to the soubriquet of some of them as 'flat-backs'. Commercially produced matches were still relatively expensive in the early to mid 19th century and vases like this were designed to hold the thin wax, rolled paper or wooden tapers or 'spills' that were used instead to transfer fire from the fireplace to candles, lamps, cigars and pipes. |
| Bibliographic reference | Staffordshire Portrait Figures of the Victorian Era by P.D. Gordon Pugh, published by Barrie & Jenkins Ltd., 1981 (reprinted with corrections & additions), section E, p.467, plate 114, fig.225. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.1653-2014 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | July 29, 2014 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
