Pyrophorus Vase
ca. 1815 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
'Pyrophorus vases' were ancestors of the modern match box. Their name derived from the Greek, pur for 'fire' and phoros for 'bringing'. 'Instant light boxes' had been made in metal since 1810, and in 1812 Wedgwood began to manufacture them in a decorative ceramic version. The idea of making them in pottery came from the chemists Accum & Garden of Compton Street, Soho, London, who supplied Wedgwood with the matches, acid and acid bottles. The vases were soon copied at Josiah Spode's factory.
Use
Wooden splints were held in the central hole. One end of the splints had been dipped in chlorate of potash and sugar. When dipped in sulphuric acid these produced a flame. Pyrophorus vases were initially popular, probably because of their novelty, but they were not made after about 1830. Soon after this date the first friction matches of the modern type were introduced. By the mid-19th century the original purpose of these vases had been forgotten, and for more than a century they were thought to have been inkwells.
'Pyrophorus vases' were ancestors of the modern match box. Their name derived from the Greek, pur for 'fire' and phoros for 'bringing'. 'Instant light boxes' had been made in metal since 1810, and in 1812 Wedgwood began to manufacture them in a decorative ceramic version. The idea of making them in pottery came from the chemists Accum & Garden of Compton Street, Soho, London, who supplied Wedgwood with the matches, acid and acid bottles. The vases were soon copied at Josiah Spode's factory.
Use
Wooden splints were held in the central hole. One end of the splints had been dipped in chlorate of potash and sugar. When dipped in sulphuric acid these produced a flame. Pyrophorus vases were initially popular, probably because of their novelty, but they were not made after about 1830. Soon after this date the first friction matches of the modern type were introduced. By the mid-19th century the original purpose of these vases had been forgotten, and for more than a century they were thought to have been inkwells.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Cane-coloured stoneware with <i>rosso antico</i> reliefs |
| Brief description | Pyrophorus vase, cane-coloured stoneware with rosso antico reliefs, Josiah Wedgwood and Sons Ltd., England (Etruria), ca. 1815 |
| Physical description | Pyrophorus vase of cane-coloured stoneware, in the form of an altar decorated in red relief with attributes of Jupiter, Mars, and Mercury. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | 'WEDGWOOD' and 'D' (Impressed) |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Transferred from the Museum of Practical Geology |
| Object history | Pyrophorous vases contained wooden spills and chemicals that could be combined to create a flame. They were first made in 1812. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Object Type 'Pyrophorus vases' were ancestors of the modern match box. Their name derived from the Greek, pur for 'fire' and phoros for 'bringing'. 'Instant light boxes' had been made in metal since 1810, and in 1812 Wedgwood began to manufacture them in a decorative ceramic version. The idea of making them in pottery came from the chemists Accum & Garden of Compton Street, Soho, London, who supplied Wedgwood with the matches, acid and acid bottles. The vases were soon copied at Josiah Spode's factory. Use Wooden splints were held in the central hole. One end of the splints had been dipped in chlorate of potash and sugar. When dipped in sulphuric acid these produced a flame. Pyrophorus vases were initially popular, probably because of their novelty, but they were not made after about 1830. Soon after this date the first friction matches of the modern type were introduced. By the mid-19th century the original purpose of these vases had been forgotten, and for more than a century they were thought to have been inkwells. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 2380-1901 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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