Sylvan thumbnail 1

Sylvan

Book-End
ca. 1930 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Flat backed book-end of stoneware in the form of a three-masted sailing galleon and glazed with a mottled green glaze, and the base is decorated with moulded wave shapes.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleSylvan (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Stoneware with mottled green glaze
Brief description
'Sylvan' stoneware book-end in the form of a three-masted sailing galleon, with a mottled green glaze, made by Carter, Stabler & Adams Ltd., Poole, ca. 1930.
Physical description
Flat backed book-end of stoneware in the form of a three-masted sailing galleon and glazed with a mottled green glaze, and the base is decorated with moulded wave shapes.
Dimensions
  • Height: 22cm
  • Width: 20cm
  • Depth: 7.5cm
  • Weight: 0.75kg
Marks and inscriptions
'CARTER / STABLER & / ADAMS Ltd / POOLE / ENGLAND' (Moulded within a rectangular border)
Gallery label
(23/05/2008)
Galleons
made by Carter, Stabler & Adams Ltd., Poole, about 1930
Stoneware

Circ.558-1976
Object history
One of a pair of book-ends CIRC.558&A-1976.
Historical context
Carter, Stabler & Adams were sensitive to the demands of the fashion-conscious market and interested in experimenting with different glazes. The 'Sylvian' mottled glaze was introduced by the pottery in the early 1930s. The green of this book-end is very typical of the period. This book-end or mantlepiece ornament is a mass-produced version of an original galleon designed by the sculptor and partner of the firm Harold Stabler (1872-1945) which may have been modelled on a famous local pirate ship, the 'Harry Paye'. The galleon was frequently used as a symbol for the Carter, Stabler & Adams pottery.

In the 1930s this bookend would have added a cottagey effect in the decoration of homes in the rapidly spreading suburbs and would have evoked nostalgic images of Raleigh and Drake and Britain in its greatness as a sea-fearing nation: a symbol of freedom and life's rich passage.

Harold Stabler trained as a wood-carver and metalworker in the Arts and Crafts style. He became dissatisfied with this approach and in 1912 he became a founder memeber of the Design and Industries Association and is well-known as the designer of posters and tiles for the London Underground. He taught at the Royal College of Art from 1912 to 1926.
[Susan McCormack, 'British Design at Home', p.112]
Subject depicted
Collection
Accession number
CIRC.558A-1976

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Record createdFebruary 8, 2000
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