On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

The Owl and the Grasshopper

Tile
ca. 1770-ca. 1780 (made)
Artist/Maker
Sadler and Green (printer)
Green, Guy (printer)
Place of origin
Liverpool (made)

Tin-glazed earthenware tile, transfer-printed in black with the Owl and the Grasshopper from Æsop's Fables. Border of rococo scrolls.

Object details

Categories
Delftware
Tiles
Earthenware
Ceramics
Object type
Tile
TitleThe Owl and the Grasshopper (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Tin-glazed earthenware with transfer-printed decoration
Earthenware
Tin Glaze
Glazed
Transfer-Printed
Brief description
Delftware. Tile, tin-glazed earthenware with transfer-printed decoration of 'The Owl and the Grasshopper' from Æsop's Fables, probably printed by Guy Green at Sadler and Green, Liverpool, ca. 1770-ca. 1780.
Physical description
Tin-glazed earthenware tile, transfer-printed in black with the Owl and the Grasshopper from Æsop's Fables. Border of rococo scrolls.
Dimensions
  • Width: 12.7cm
  • Length: 12.7cm
  • Thickness: 0.8cm
Credit line
Given by Lady Charlotte Schreiber
Object history
Given by Lady Charlotte Schreiber, 1885. Purchased by her from Becks, Bristol, 1869.

Some of the engravings on these tiles [414:835/1 to 4-1885, 414:836/1 to 4-1885, 414:837/1 to 4-1885, 414:838/1 to 4-1885] correspond more or less closely with the illustrations of the same subjects in Francis Barlow's edition of Æsop's Fables and Life, published in 1687; as however the titles comprise fables not included in Barlow's selection, it would seem that the plates in this edition were not used as copies by the tile-printers but that both series of designs are derived from a common original.
Subjects depicted
Owl
Grasshopper
Trees
Literary referenceÆsop's Fables
Bibliographic references
  • Archer, Michael. Delftware: the tin-glazed earthenware of the British Isles. A catalogue of the collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: HMSO, in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1997. ISBN 0 11 290499 8
  • Lady Schreiber, No: 837.1. Ray 1973, No: D8-36.
Other numbers
  • N 498 - Delftware (1997) cat. no.
  • Sch. II 48M - Schreiber number
Collection
Ceramics Collection
Accession number
414:837/1-1885

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 createdJanuary 29, 2000
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O20462/the-owl-and-the-grasshopper-tile-green-guy/
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest