Vase
1778-1780 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
The vase is one from a pair and would have been displayed on a domestic mantelpiece or other furnishing. Both front and back are finely painted with figure scenes, so the vases were probably intended to be seen from both sides or displayed in front of a mirror. 'Antique', or Neo-classical, vases like this were also kept in glazed cabinets and set out on ladies' dressing tables. A Derby auction catalogue of 1773 states that 'Antique' vases were 'particularly adapted for the Decoration of Chimney Pieces, Cabinets, Toilets. &c.' Small vases on pedestals were also set out on dining tables during the dessert course of grand meals, but these vases were usually unglazed.
Design & Designing
The vases are rare examples of the Derby factory copying a Classical source. The figure subjects are derived from Pompeian wall paintings. Derby's immediate source for these was T. Martyn and J. Lettice's The Antiquities of Herculaneum (1773), to which William Duesbury (1725-1786), the owner of the factory, subscribed.
Trading
A London auction held by the Derby factory in 1778 included a pair of vases that were probably similar to these. They were described as 'One pair Etruscan vases enamel'd with Herculean figures, fine blue ground striped with gold' and realized £3 13s 6d. At that time, Chelsea and Derby modellers earned around £2 11s. per week.
The vase is one from a pair and would have been displayed on a domestic mantelpiece or other furnishing. Both front and back are finely painted with figure scenes, so the vases were probably intended to be seen from both sides or displayed in front of a mirror. 'Antique', or Neo-classical, vases like this were also kept in glazed cabinets and set out on ladies' dressing tables. A Derby auction catalogue of 1773 states that 'Antique' vases were 'particularly adapted for the Decoration of Chimney Pieces, Cabinets, Toilets. &c.' Small vases on pedestals were also set out on dining tables during the dessert course of grand meals, but these vases were usually unglazed.
Design & Designing
The vases are rare examples of the Derby factory copying a Classical source. The figure subjects are derived from Pompeian wall paintings. Derby's immediate source for these was T. Martyn and J. Lettice's The Antiquities of Herculaneum (1773), to which William Duesbury (1725-1786), the owner of the factory, subscribed.
Trading
A London auction held by the Derby factory in 1778 included a pair of vases that were probably similar to these. They were described as 'One pair Etruscan vases enamel'd with Herculean figures, fine blue ground striped with gold' and realized £3 13s 6d. At that time, Chelsea and Derby modellers earned around £2 11s. per week.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Soft-paste porcelain, painted in enamels and gilt |
| Brief description | C C |
| Physical description | PORCELAIN VASE (one of a pair) |
| Dimensions |
|
| 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 Sydney A. Erwood |
| Object history | Made at the Derby porcelain factory |
| Summary | Object Type The vase is one from a pair and would have been displayed on a domestic mantelpiece or other furnishing. Both front and back are finely painted with figure scenes, so the vases were probably intended to be seen from both sides or displayed in front of a mirror. 'Antique', or Neo-classical, vases like this were also kept in glazed cabinets and set out on ladies' dressing tables. A Derby auction catalogue of 1773 states that 'Antique' vases were 'particularly adapted for the Decoration of Chimney Pieces, Cabinets, Toilets. &c.' Small vases on pedestals were also set out on dining tables during the dessert course of grand meals, but these vases were usually unglazed. Design & Designing The vases are rare examples of the Derby factory copying a Classical source. The figure subjects are derived from Pompeian wall paintings. Derby's immediate source for these was T. Martyn and J. Lettice's The Antiquities of Herculaneum (1773), to which William Duesbury (1725-1786), the owner of the factory, subscribed. Trading A London auction held by the Derby factory in 1778 included a pair of vases that were probably similar to these. They were described as 'One pair Etruscan vases enamel'd with Herculean figures, fine blue ground striped with gold' and realized £3 13s 6d. At that time, Chelsea and Derby modellers earned around £2 11s. per week. |
| Associated objects | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.240&A-1922 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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