Decanter Stopper
1847 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The decoration of a cherub harvesting wine tells us this piece was a stopper for a wine decanter. Stoppers of this design were first made for Summerley Art Manufactures, a company set up by Henry Cole before he became the first director of the V&A.
Following the recommendations of the 1835 Parliamentary Select Committee on the need for good design in industry, Cole aimed to produce affordable objects decorated with ‘appropriate details relating to …use’. After Summerley's was wound up in 1849, the London firm of Smith & Nicholson continued to make these popular patterns, which the Museum bought from them in 1864 for £6 6s (£6.60p).
Following the recommendations of the 1835 Parliamentary Select Committee on the need for good design in industry, Cole aimed to produce affordable objects decorated with ‘appropriate details relating to …use’. After Summerley's was wound up in 1849, the London firm of Smith & Nicholson continued to make these popular patterns, which the Museum bought from them in 1864 for £6 6s (£6.60p).
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silver, cast and applied |
| Brief description | Silver, English |
| Physical description | This set of three decanter stoppers illustrate the three stages of winemaking; harvesting, treading and decanting. A young figure of a boy is shown performing the respective stages of work in winemaking on a base with a decorative motif of grapevines and a Bacchanalian head. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Maker SSWN (Smith and Nicholson), date, duty, sterling, leopard |
| Object history | Bought from Smith and Nicholson, 24 September 1864, for £6.6.0 Stoppers of this design were first made for Summerley Art Manufactures, a company set up by Henry Cole, the first director of the V&A. Following the recommendations of the 1835 Parliamentary Select Committee on the need for good design in industry, Cole aimed to produce affordable objects decorated with "appropriate details relating to …use". Although scarcely an original idea, the statuettes of wine-harvesting cherubs are clearly highly appropriate for wine vessels. Summerley's was wound up in 1849 after production difficulties, but Smith and Nicholson continued to make these popular patterns, which the Museum bought from them in 1864 for £6.6 shillings. |
| Production | Summerly Art Manufacturers |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The decoration of a cherub harvesting wine tells us this piece was a stopper for a wine decanter. Stoppers of this design were first made for Summerley Art Manufactures, a company set up by Henry Cole before he became the first director of the V&A. Following the recommendations of the 1835 Parliamentary Select Committee on the need for good design in industry, Cole aimed to produce affordable objects decorated with ‘appropriate details relating to …use’. After Summerley's was wound up in 1849, the London firm of Smith & Nicholson continued to make these popular patterns, which the Museum bought from them in 1864 for £6 6s (£6.60p). |
| Bibliographic reference | "English Silver from 1660", Eric Turner, V&A Museum, "Victorian Electroplate", Shirley Bury, p47 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 796-1864 |
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| Record created | March 28, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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