Mask stayr
Mask
ca. 1855 (made)
ca. 1855 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is a cast from a sketch of a mask of a satyr, possibly a model for an ornament for a stove or fender produced whilst Stevens was employed at Messrs Henry E. Hoole & Co in Sheffield. It is similar to a detail on the 'Rape of Proserpine' grate made by Hoole & Co in 1855.
It was purchased by the V&A from Mrs. Townroe, London.
Mrs Townroe was the widow of Reuben Townroe, a pupil of Stevens, who was also involved in a number of projects connected with the decoration of the Museum. According to Towndrow [sic! different spelling] (see: Towndrow, K. R. 1939, p. 99) whilst Stevens was at Sheffield working for Messrs. Hoole & Co Ltd as Chief Designer between 1850 and 1857, he 'invited Reuben a promising art student, to learn the craft under his own instruction at the Green Lane Works. The boy was with Stevens most of the Sheffield period and gained a faculty in modelling and an unusual insight into the decorative use of metals'.
A sculptor, designer and painter, Alfred Stevens (1817/18-1875) rejected contemporary distinctions between fine art and design. From 1850 to 1857 he was chief designer to Hoole & Co., Sheffield, where he produced award-winning designs for metalwork, majolica, terracotta ornaments and chimney-pieces. Perhaps his two greatest works were the decorations for the dining-room at Dorchester House, London (about 1856), for which he made countless drawings inspired by the Italian High Renaissance style, in particular the work of Michelangelo and the monument to the Duke of Wellington for St Paul's Cathedral, London, which was completed after his death. The two allegorical groups from this monument made a lasting impact on the New Sculpture movement. The influence of the Italian Renaissance is evident in much of Steven's work, and is perhaps best reflected in the Wellington monument.
It was purchased by the V&A from Mrs. Townroe, London.
Mrs Townroe was the widow of Reuben Townroe, a pupil of Stevens, who was also involved in a number of projects connected with the decoration of the Museum. According to Towndrow [sic! different spelling] (see: Towndrow, K. R. 1939, p. 99) whilst Stevens was at Sheffield working for Messrs. Hoole & Co Ltd as Chief Designer between 1850 and 1857, he 'invited Reuben a promising art student, to learn the craft under his own instruction at the Green Lane Works. The boy was with Stevens most of the Sheffield period and gained a faculty in modelling and an unusual insight into the decorative use of metals'.
A sculptor, designer and painter, Alfred Stevens (1817/18-1875) rejected contemporary distinctions between fine art and design. From 1850 to 1857 he was chief designer to Hoole & Co., Sheffield, where he produced award-winning designs for metalwork, majolica, terracotta ornaments and chimney-pieces. Perhaps his two greatest works were the decorations for the dining-room at Dorchester House, London (about 1856), for which he made countless drawings inspired by the Italian High Renaissance style, in particular the work of Michelangelo and the monument to the Duke of Wellington for St Paul's Cathedral, London, which was completed after his death. The two allegorical groups from this monument made a lasting impact on the New Sculpture movement. The influence of the Italian Renaissance is evident in much of Steven's work, and is perhaps best reflected in the Wellington monument.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Mask stayr (named collection) |
| Materials and techniques | Plaster cast |
| Brief description | Sketch model, mask, plaster cast, of a satyr, designed by Alfred Stevens for Hoole & Co Ltd., England, ca. 1855 |
| Physical description | Mask of a satyr, the beard terminating in foliage. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | Purchased from Mrs. Townroe, 48 Gertrude Street, London, together with V&A Mus. nos. A.82-1911 to A.92-1911 for 25. Transferred to the Tate Gallery in 1952; returned to the V&A in 1975. Mrs Townroe was the widow of Reuben Townroe, a pupil of Stevens, who was also involved in a number of projects connected with the decoration of the Museum. According to Towndrow [sic! different spelling] (see: Towndrow, K. R. 1939, p. 99) whilst Stevens was at Sheffield working for Messrs. Hoole & Co Ltd as Chief Designer between 1850 and 1857, he 'invited Reuben a promising art student, to learn the craft under his own instruction at the Green Lane Works. The boy was with Stevens most of the Sheffield period and gained a faculty in modelling and an unusual insight into the decorative use of metals'. A collection of 274 studies and sketches of Stevens was also acquired from Mrs Townroe in 1911, and are held in the Department of Prints, Drawings and Paintings. They include studies of many of Steven's best-known works also represented by sketch-models, including those for St. Paul's Cathedral, the Wellington Monument and the memorial to the 1851 exhibition. |
| Historical context | This is a cast from a sketch of a mask of a satyr, possibly a model for an ornament for a stove or fender produced whilst Stevens was employed as chief designer at Messrs Henry E. Hoole & Co in Sheffield during 1850-1857. It is similar to a detail on the 'Rape of Proserpine' grate made by Hoole & Co in 1855. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This is a cast from a sketch of a mask of a satyr, possibly a model for an ornament for a stove or fender produced whilst Stevens was employed at Messrs Henry E. Hoole & Co in Sheffield. It is similar to a detail on the 'Rape of Proserpine' grate made by Hoole & Co in 1855. It was purchased by the V&A from Mrs. Townroe, London. Mrs Townroe was the widow of Reuben Townroe, a pupil of Stevens, who was also involved in a number of projects connected with the decoration of the Museum. According to Towndrow [sic! different spelling] (see: Towndrow, K. R. 1939, p. 99) whilst Stevens was at Sheffield working for Messrs. Hoole & Co Ltd as Chief Designer between 1850 and 1857, he 'invited Reuben a promising art student, to learn the craft under his own instruction at the Green Lane Works. The boy was with Stevens most of the Sheffield period and gained a faculty in modelling and an unusual insight into the decorative use of metals'. A sculptor, designer and painter, Alfred Stevens (1817/18-1875) rejected contemporary distinctions between fine art and design. From 1850 to 1857 he was chief designer to Hoole & Co., Sheffield, where he produced award-winning designs for metalwork, majolica, terracotta ornaments and chimney-pieces. Perhaps his two greatest works were the decorations for the dining-room at Dorchester House, London (about 1856), for which he made countless drawings inspired by the Italian High Renaissance style, in particular the work of Michelangelo and the monument to the Duke of Wellington for St Paul's Cathedral, London, which was completed after his death. The two allegorical groups from this monument made a lasting impact on the New Sculpture movement. The influence of the Italian Renaissance is evident in much of Steven's work, and is perhaps best reflected in the Wellington monument. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.91-1911 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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