Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
British Galleries, Room 118, The Wolfson Gallery

Pedestal

1772-1774 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Object Type
This pedestal is one of a pair (C.211A-1935) made to support a pair of small vases. They would probably have been displayed on a domestic chimneypiece, possibly in front of a mirror. Small vases on pedestals were also set out on dining tables during the dessert course of grand dinners, although such vases were usually unglazed. Pairs and sets of Derby porcelain figures were also sold with pedestals of this general type.

People
The Neo-classical sculptor John Bacon (1740-1799) may have designed these pedestals and the vases made to go on them. He was paid the remarkably large sum of £104 for models by William Duesbury (1725-1786), the owner of the Derby factory, between 1769 and 1771.

Trading
The Derby factory aimed at the top end of the market and sold much of its output from factory showrooms in Covent Garden, London. The factory also held auctions in London and had agents elsewhere, notably Bath. One London auction of 1773 included a pair of vases and pedestals similar to these. They were described as 'a pair of curious antique urns and pedestals' with goat's-head handles and gilding, and realized nearly £10. At that time, Chelsea and Derby modellers earned around £2 11s. per week.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Soft-paste porcelain painted with enamels and gilded
Brief description
Pedestal of soft-paste porcelain painted with enamels and gilded, model after John Bacon, Derby porcelain factory, Derby, 1772-1774.
Physical description
Pedestal of soft-paste porcelain painted with enamels and gilded. Consisting of a plinth with four incurved sides, from the corners of which rise legs each with a satyr's mask at the top. Festoons of laurel are suspended from the masks, and the panels between the legs are filled in with openwork of scrolled foliage. The pedestal is richly gilded and with a ground of claret-colour in places.
Dimensions
  • Height: 9.21cm
Dimensions checked: Registered Description; 11/02/1999 by KN
Marks and inscriptions
An anchor (In red)
Gallery label
British Galleries: Vasemania
Vases were a very important element of the Neo-classical style. The pottery manufacturer Josiah Wedgwood, who could hardly make them fast enough, spoke of 'vasemania'. They appeared as three-dimensional objects and as decorative motifs. Vase forms also influenced the shape of practical items of all sorts, from tea canisters to candlesticks. Designers plundered sources far and wide for new designs, from Greek pottery to 16th- and 17th-century prints.(27/03/2003)
Credit line
Bequeathed by Herbert Allen
Object history
One of a pair with C.211A-1935. Formerly in the collection of Captain Ernlé Warriner. Possibly after a model by the sculptor John Bacon the Elder (born in London, 1740, died there in 1799).
Subjects depicted
Summary
Object Type
This pedestal is one of a pair (C.211A-1935) made to support a pair of small vases. They would probably have been displayed on a domestic chimneypiece, possibly in front of a mirror. Small vases on pedestals were also set out on dining tables during the dessert course of grand dinners, although such vases were usually unglazed. Pairs and sets of Derby porcelain figures were also sold with pedestals of this general type.

People
The Neo-classical sculptor John Bacon (1740-1799) may have designed these pedestals and the vases made to go on them. He was paid the remarkably large sum of £104 for models by William Duesbury (1725-1786), the owner of the Derby factory, between 1769 and 1771.

Trading
The Derby factory aimed at the top end of the market and sold much of its output from factory showrooms in Covent Garden, London. The factory also held auctions in London and had agents elsewhere, notably Bath. One London auction of 1773 included a pair of vases and pedestals similar to these. They were described as 'a pair of curious antique urns and pedestals' with goat's-head handles and gilding, and realized nearly £10. At that time, Chelsea and Derby modellers earned around £2 11s. per week.
Associated object
485-1875 (Set)
Bibliographic reference
Twitchett, John. Derby Porcelain. London : Barrie & Jenkins, 1980. pl. 108.
Collection
Accession number
C.211-1935

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Record createdMarch 27, 2003
Record URL
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