Request to view

This object can be requested via email from the Prints & Drawings Study Room

Design

1867 (published), 1866-1867 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Owen Jones (1809-1874), leading designer, architect and design theorist of the mid-nineteenth century, is closely linked with the V&A. He is best known for his compendium of global pattern, The Grammar of Ornament (1856) in which he published his theory of design and selected examples of what he judged to be good ornament from other cultures and periods. Shortly after its publication, the Museum purchased all the original design drawings for the plates, as well as 62 copies of the book for distribution through the Government Schools of Art and Design.

A less famous, but also significant book produced by Jones was his Examples of Chinese Ornament selected from objects in the South Kensington Museum and other collections (London: S. & T. Gilbert, 1867) (NAL: 38041800167090), which contained 100 chromolithographs.

The introduction to Examples of Chinese Ornament gives details of the circumstances of the production of the drawings. Jones was allowed to borrow items from the collections of the South Kensington Museum and drew them ‘in the quiet of the studio’ in order to create the patterns. Unlike the preparation of the plates for The Grammar of Ornament, when Jones was assisted by other artists, for the Examples of Chinese Ornament, he worked alone.

The V&A is intimately connected with Owen Jones. In 1863 he was asked to design interiors for the Museum’s Indian Court and Chinese & Japanese Court, collectively known as the Oriental Courts (now Galleries 34 to 36) (see D.120 to D.121-1905, E.3607-1931 and others). Although now covered, exploratory conservation work has indicated that the decorative schemes still survive. The Museum also holds a substantial collection of material by Jones – about 170 designs on paper including designs for carpets, tiles, ceiling decorations, stained glass, wallpaper, interiors, and textiles, plus the complete set of 100 original design drawings for The Grammar of Ornament.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
paper, gouache, gold paint, drawing
Brief description
Design (1 of 51) by Owen Jones for publication in Examples of Chinese Ornament (London, 1867) (Plate 95)
Physical description
Ornamental design in gouache, pencil and gold paint on watermarked Whatman paper
Dimensions
  • Height: 13.5in
  • Width: 9.5in
Production typeDesign
Credit line
Purchased with the support of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, Art Fund, V&A Members and The Belvedere Trust
Association
Summary
Owen Jones (1809-1874), leading designer, architect and design theorist of the mid-nineteenth century, is closely linked with the V&A. He is best known for his compendium of global pattern, The Grammar of Ornament (1856) in which he published his theory of design and selected examples of what he judged to be good ornament from other cultures and periods. Shortly after its publication, the Museum purchased all the original design drawings for the plates, as well as 62 copies of the book for distribution through the Government Schools of Art and Design.

A less famous, but also significant book produced by Jones was his Examples of Chinese Ornament selected from objects in the South Kensington Museum and other collections (London: S. & T. Gilbert, 1867) (NAL: 38041800167090), which contained 100 chromolithographs.

The introduction to Examples of Chinese Ornament gives details of the circumstances of the production of the drawings. Jones was allowed to borrow items from the collections of the South Kensington Museum and drew them ‘in the quiet of the studio’ in order to create the patterns. Unlike the preparation of the plates for The Grammar of Ornament, when Jones was assisted by other artists, for the Examples of Chinese Ornament, he worked alone.

The V&A is intimately connected with Owen Jones. In 1863 he was asked to design interiors for the Museum’s Indian Court and Chinese & Japanese Court, collectively known as the Oriental Courts (now Galleries 34 to 36) (see D.120 to D.121-1905, E.3607-1931 and others). Although now covered, exploratory conservation work has indicated that the decorative schemes still survive. The Museum also holds a substantial collection of material by Jones – about 170 designs on paper including designs for carpets, tiles, ceiling decorations, stained glass, wallpaper, interiors, and textiles, plus the complete set of 100 original design drawings for The Grammar of Ornament.
Bibliographic reference
Examples of Chinese Ornament selected from objects in the South Kensington Museum and other collections London: S. & T. Gilbert, 1867
Collection
Accession number
E.95-2018

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

Record createdAugust 2, 2017
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest