Vase
1790-1800 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
The vase is a purely decorative one. It was probably intended for display in a private library or other domestic interior. It was made at a time when vases were enormously popular. The Staffordshire potter Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) and his competitors exploited and promoted this fashion, Wedgwood in 1769 boasting of his intention of becoming 'Vase Maker General to the Universe'.
Design & Designing
The figure composition was originally made in 'cut Indian paper' by Elizabeth, Lady Templetown (1747-1823), an amateur artist. Wedgwood reproduced 14 reliefs after her designs, and acknowledged her 'exquisite taste' and 'charming groups' in the 1787 catalogue of his ornamental wares. He probably asked her for designs in the hope that they would appeal to female taste. Wedgwood first made snake-handled vases of this shape in blue Jasper stoneware around 1786. He was clearly pleased with the Jasper versions, as he illustrated one in the English and French editions of his catalogue of ornamental wares of 1787 and 1788. These Jasper versions generally have reliefs of 'Venus in her Chariot', not the figure scenes seen here.
The vase is a purely decorative one. It was probably intended for display in a private library or other domestic interior. It was made at a time when vases were enormously popular. The Staffordshire potter Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) and his competitors exploited and promoted this fashion, Wedgwood in 1769 boasting of his intention of becoming 'Vase Maker General to the Universe'.
Design & Designing
The figure composition was originally made in 'cut Indian paper' by Elizabeth, Lady Templetown (1747-1823), an amateur artist. Wedgwood reproduced 14 reliefs after her designs, and acknowledged her 'exquisite taste' and 'charming groups' in the 1787 catalogue of his ornamental wares. He probably asked her for designs in the hope that they would appeal to female taste. Wedgwood first made snake-handled vases of this shape in blue Jasper stoneware around 1786. He was clearly pleased with the Jasper versions, as he illustrated one in the English and French editions of his catalogue of ornamental wares of 1787 and 1788. These Jasper versions generally have reliefs of 'Venus in her Chariot', not the figure scenes seen here.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Earthenware |
| Brief description | Vase of earthenware, designed by Lady Templetown, made by Josiah Wedgwood and Sons Ltd., Etruria, 1790-1800. |
| Physical description | Vase of earthenware. Ovoid body with a hollow shoulder, high foot on a square plinth with an anthemion border in relief, narrow neck, beads round the mouth, two reeled loop handles rising above the rim, and a serpent coiled about each. The reliefs depict women and children, with Cupid shooting his bow, a lamb, trees and a tripod. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by Herbert Allen |
| Object history | Formerly in the collection of Mr. Arthur Rokeby Price. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Object Type The vase is a purely decorative one. It was probably intended for display in a private library or other domestic interior. It was made at a time when vases were enormously popular. The Staffordshire potter Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) and his competitors exploited and promoted this fashion, Wedgwood in 1769 boasting of his intention of becoming 'Vase Maker General to the Universe'. Design & Designing The figure composition was originally made in 'cut Indian paper' by Elizabeth, Lady Templetown (1747-1823), an amateur artist. Wedgwood reproduced 14 reliefs after her designs, and acknowledged her 'exquisite taste' and 'charming groups' in the 1787 catalogue of his ornamental wares. He probably asked her for designs in the hope that they would appeal to female taste. Wedgwood first made snake-handled vases of this shape in blue Jasper stoneware around 1786. He was clearly pleased with the Jasper versions, as he illustrated one in the English and French editions of his catalogue of ornamental wares of 1787 and 1788. These Jasper versions generally have reliefs of 'Venus in her Chariot', not the figure scenes seen here. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.799-1935 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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