Jug thumbnail 1
Jug thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Ceramics, Room 139, The Curtain Foundation Gallery

Jug

ca. 1839-1854 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Paris (made)

Jug of porcelain decorated in gold and silver on a dark blue ground with an elaborate ormolu handle and foot. Ovoid body with a narrow neck and high stem, decorated with flowers and foliage symmetrically arranged in shaped compartments, outlined in strapwork, on a dotted ground. The mouth, loop handle and foot are of ormolu decorated with scrolls and foliage. The handle is surmounted by a winged dragon and has a satyr's mask near the lower end.


Object details

Categories
Ceramics
Porcelain
Object type
Jug
Materials and techniques
Porcelain decorated in gold and silver with ormolu
Porcelain
Gold
Silver
Brief description
Jug of porcelain decorated in gold and silver with ormolu mounts, Paris, ca. 1839-1854.
Physical description
Jug of porcelain decorated in gold and silver on a dark blue ground with an elaborate ormolu handle and foot. Ovoid body with a narrow neck and high stem, decorated with flowers and foliage symmetrically arranged in shaped compartments, outlined in strapwork, on a dotted ground. The mouth, loop handle and foot are of ormolu decorated with scrolls and foliage. The handle is surmounted by a winged dragon and has a satyr's mask near the lower end.
Dimensions
  • Height: 36.8cm
  • Diameter: 10.2cm
Gallery label
  • Label for 'American and European Art and Design 1800-1900', Gallery 101, de-canted March 2017: '29 Ewer 1839-54 The Escalier de Cristal (Crystal Staircase) was a famous shop in the Palais Royal, specialising in luxury goods, like this ewer in Renaissance style. It did not manufacture but was responsible for design, with ten craftsmen 'inside' and forty to fifty 'outside'. The shop supplied the king, but by the 1840s half of its products were for export. France; Paris; retailed by Escalier de Cristal Porcelain, decorated in gold and silver; gilded bronze mounts Museum no. 4070-1901 Transferred from the Museum of Practical Geology, Jermyn Street'
  • EWER Escalier de Cristal Retailer Paris: about 1839-1854 Porcelain decorated in gold and silver with an elaborate ormolu handle and foot The 'Escalier de Cristal', a famous shop in the Palais Royal, was founded in 1802. Its owner, Mme. Desamaud, became supplier to the King in 1818. She originally sold only "crystal" glass, and her shop had a crystal staircase. She was succeeded by Boin in 1828, Lahoche-Boin in 1839 and Lahoche-Pannier in 1854. In 1844 the shop turned over 150,000 francs, half in exports. It did not manufacture, but was responsible for design and the choice and employment of artists, with ten craftsmen 'inside' and forty to fifty 'outside'.
Credit line
Transferred from the Museum of Practical Geology, Jermyn Street
Subjects depicted
Ormolu
Flowers
Foliage
Strapwork
Scrolls
Dragon
Satyr
Mask
Collection
Ceramics Collection
Accession number
4070-1901

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Record createdApril 23, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O228072/jug-unknown/
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