Dish thumbnail 1
Not on display

Dish

ca. 1870 (made)
Artist/Maker
Mafra (made)
Place of origin
Caldas da Rainha (made)

Dessert dish modelled as vine leaves with brown grapes and vines, decorated in naturalistic colours

Object details

Categories
Ceramics
Earthenware
Object type
Dish
Materials and techniques
Earthenware
Earthenware
Modelled
Brief description
One of a group of six dessert dishes modelled as vine leaves. Earthenware with coloured glazes. Manuel Mafra, Caldas da Rainha, Portugal, ca.1870
Physical description
Dessert dish modelled as vine leaves with brown grapes and vines, decorated in naturalistic colours
Content description
vine leaf
Marks and inscriptions
Transliteration
.
Credit line
Given by H. M. Commissioners for the Exhibition of 1851
Object history
Exhibited at the London International Exhibition of 1871.

Manuel Cipriano Gomes (1831-1905) was born in a village near Mafra. In 1850, he moved to Caldas da Rainha, a spa town in central west Portugal known for ceramic making. He adopted the name Mafra and set up his workshop in 1853, having purchased the existing workshop of Maria dos Cacos, for whom he had at first worked. In about 1870, he gained royal patronage. In 1887, his son Edouardo Augusto joined the business for a time but left for a political career. Mafra died in 1905. The artisanal workshop specialised in zoomorphic vessels and wares inspired by the work of Palissy (France, 16th century).
Production
This was a common design in Mafra production from ca.1860.
Bibliographic references
  • José Quieros, Ceramica Portuguesa, Lisbon, 1948
  • Katz, Marshall P., 'Portuguese Palissy Ware', New York, 1999
  • Cristina Ramos e Horta, 'Manuel Mafra 1829-1905' in 'Manuel Mafra: Mestre na Cerâmica das Caldas', Caldas da Rainha, Portugal, 2009
  • Cristina Ramos e Horta, 'Manuel Mafra Ceramics in the Victoria and Albert Museum', in 'Artis: Revista de História da Arte e Ciências do Património', no.1, Portugal, 2013
  • Cristina Ramos e Horta, 'Portuguese Ceramicist Manuel Mafra: Nature, Exoticism and Luxury' in Journal of the Decorative Arts Society, no.37, 2013
Other number
HMC.12 - H.M.C. Loan no.
Collection
Ceramics Collection
Accession number
HMC.12:6

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O340890/dish-mafra/
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