On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Tile

ca. 1850-1851 (made)
Artist/Maker
Rafael Gonzalez Valls (manufacturer)
Place of origin
Valencia (made)

The Great Exhibition of 1851 was the first large scale temporary international exhibition. Staged in London's Hyde Park, inside the legendary Crystal Palace, it aimed to bring together a complete range of manufactured produce across the arts and sciences. This tile was among those shown by the firm of Rafael Gonzalez Valls in the Spanish section of the exhibition. The tile is grouped in the frame with five others (Museum nos. C.94:1 to 6-1998) as originally shown in 1851.

Object details

Categories
Ceramics
Earthenware
Tiles
Object type
Tile
Materials and techniques
Earthenware with painted decoration
Earthenware
Brief description
Tile with painted foliate decoration in olive-green, blue, red and black, Gonzalez Valls, c.1850-51
Physical description
Four tiles. Each is decorated with a painted design of naturalistic foliage in olive-green, two shades of blue, red and black, on a white ground. The tiles are mounted in their original frame along with two other tiles of different design (C.94:1 & 2-1998).
Dimensions
  • Height: 20.4cm
  • Width: 20.4cm
  • Thickness: 1.6cm
Marks and inscriptions
'FABRICAS AZULEJOS / RAFAEL GONZALEZ VALLS / EN VALENCIA / Premiado con el uso de las armas de la Sociedad Amigos del Pais en 1844' (label; on back of frame)
Object history
The tiles were found in the museum, but are recorded as previously belonging to the collection Illustrating Construction and Building Materials in the South Kensington Museum (see references). The tiles had previously been exhibited in the Great Exhibition, 1851. The tiles are in the original manufacturer's frame.
Association
Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations
Summary
The Great Exhibition of 1851 was the first large scale temporary international exhibition. Staged in London's Hyde Park, inside the legendary Crystal Palace, it aimed to bring together a complete range of manufactured produce across the arts and sciences. This tile was among those shown by the firm of Rafael Gonzalez Valls in the Spanish section of the exhibition. The tile is grouped in the frame with five others (Museum nos. C.94:1 to 6-1998) as originally shown in 1851.
Bibliographic references
  • Sandham, Henry (ed.). Science and Art Department of the Committee of Council on Education, Catalogue of the Collection Illustrating Construction and Building Materials in the South Kensington Museum. 3rd ed., London, 1862.
  • Ray, Anthony. Spanish Pottery 1248-1898 : with a catalogue of the collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum London, V&A Publications, 2000 1013 C4
  • Official descriptive and illustrated catalogue of the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nation 1851. London : Spicer Bros., 1851 no. 55, v.3
  • Estall i Poles, Vicent Joan. Catálogo de la Colección de Azulejos de Serie del Siglo XIX. Castellón, n.d. [2000], pp23-24.
  • Graves, Alun. Tiles and Tilework of Europe. London, 2002, pp133-5.
Other numbers
  • CER.LOST OK.108 - Previous LOST number
  • CER.LOST OK.168, 169, 170, 171 - Previous LOST number
  • CER.LOST OK.173, 174 - Previous LOST number
  • CER.LOST OK.176, 177, 178, 179, 180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190, 191, 192, 193, 194, 195 - Previous LOST number
Collection
Ceramics Collection
Accession number
C.94:4-1998

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Record createdApril 1, 2004
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O97548/tile-rafael-gonzalez-valls/
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