Urn
1790-1800 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This urn is one of a pair of hot chestnut urns, which were fashionable in the late 18th century and early 19th in Britain. Chestnut urns, usually made in a distinctive Neo-classical style, were kept on the sideboard and formed part of the furnishings of a dining room.
Materials & Making
The urn is decorated by a process known as japanning. This was an imitation of East Asian lacquer widely used on furniture and base-metal wares from the 17th to the 19th centuries. A series of coats of black asphaltum varnish were applied to the surface of the urn, which was then dried in an oven, which effectively baked them on to the surface. This was then heightened with gold, often with popular Chinoiserie designs. The process was first developed at Bilston in Staffordshire, but was also used in Monmouthshire at Pontypool and Usk.
Ownership & Use
In the late 18th century, boiled and roasted Spanish chestnuts were popular in Britain as a dessert. These urns were for carrying the hot chestnuts from the hearth to the dining table. When not in use they formed an attractive addition to the furnishings of a dining room.
This urn is one of a pair of hot chestnut urns, which were fashionable in the late 18th century and early 19th in Britain. Chestnut urns, usually made in a distinctive Neo-classical style, were kept on the sideboard and formed part of the furnishings of a dining room.
Materials & Making
The urn is decorated by a process known as japanning. This was an imitation of East Asian lacquer widely used on furniture and base-metal wares from the 17th to the 19th centuries. A series of coats of black asphaltum varnish were applied to the surface of the urn, which was then dried in an oven, which effectively baked them on to the surface. This was then heightened with gold, often with popular Chinoiserie designs. The process was first developed at Bilston in Staffordshire, but was also used in Monmouthshire at Pontypool and Usk.
Ownership & Use
In the late 18th century, boiled and roasted Spanish chestnuts were popular in Britain as a dessert. These urns were for carrying the hot chestnuts from the hearth to the dining table. When not in use they formed an attractive addition to the furnishings of a dining room.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Pewter, cast, turned and japanned |
| Brief description | Japanned urn for hot chestnuts, Pontypool or Usk, 1790-1800 |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Given by Sir Trenchard Cox |
| Object history | Made in Pontypool,Torfaen or Usk, Monmouthshire |
| Summary | Object Type This urn is one of a pair of hot chestnut urns, which were fashionable in the late 18th century and early 19th in Britain. Chestnut urns, usually made in a distinctive Neo-classical style, were kept on the sideboard and formed part of the furnishings of a dining room. Materials & Making The urn is decorated by a process known as japanning. This was an imitation of East Asian lacquer widely used on furniture and base-metal wares from the 17th to the 19th centuries. A series of coats of black asphaltum varnish were applied to the surface of the urn, which was then dried in an oven, which effectively baked them on to the surface. This was then heightened with gold, often with popular Chinoiserie designs. The process was first developed at Bilston in Staffordshire, but was also used in Monmouthshire at Pontypool and Usk. Ownership & Use In the late 18th century, boiled and roasted Spanish chestnuts were popular in Britain as a dessert. These urns were for carrying the hot chestnuts from the hearth to the dining table. When not in use they formed an attractive addition to the furnishings of a dining room. |
| Bibliographic reference | Gorman, Cynthia, "Japanning on Metal: Recent Experiments", Journal of the Antique Metalware Society, Volume 14, June 2006, p. 22, Fig. 1 (also illustrated on cover) |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.22:1, 2-1995 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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