Ewer and Basin thumbnail 1
Ewer and Basin thumbnail 2
+3
images
Not on display

Ewer and Basin

ca. 1781-1793 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The demand for 'antique' style decorative arts such as this ewer and basin, was so great in the late-18th century that, in addition to copying surviving Classical antiquities, manufacturers took designs from prints of the 17th and 18th centuries. Some of these prints were highly fanciful inventions, which were not seriously intended as models for production. The design for the shape of this ewer, the body, handle and spout, is taken from plate 10 of "Livre de Vases", published in 1667 after drawings by the French painter Jacques Stella (1596 - 1657).
The ewer and basin were made in the Duc d'Angoulême's porcelain factory, Paris. In 1781 Christoph Dihl (1752-1830), Antoine Guérhard (d.1793) and his wife Louise-Françoise-Madelaine Croizé (1751-1831) established a factory under the protection of the then only five year old Duc d’Angoulême (1775-1844). This Royal patronage allowed the factory to manufacture coloured and gilt porcelain which had been monopolised by Sèvres since 1766. It operated first at Rue de Bondy, Paris moving in 1789 to rue du Temple. The factory enjoyed success and continued after the Revolution. The factory suffered financial difficulties in the early-19th century eventually leading to closure in 1828.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Ewer
  • Basin
Materials and techniques
Hard-paste porcelain, with blue ground painted in gold
Brief description
Porcelain ewer and basin, gilt decoration on blue and white, by Duc d'Angoulême's porcelain factory, Paris, ca. 1781-1793
Physical description
Porcelain ewer and basin decorated across surface with intricate gold decoration on dark blue and white ground; ewer has high loop handle terminating in mask, the basin is straight sided of roughly octagonal form.
Style
Marks and inscriptions
  • Monogram 'GA' in gold with an oval under a coronet and '129' stencilled in red. (ewer)
  • Monogram 'GA' in red with an oval under a coronet and '129' stencilled in red. (basin)
Gallery label
(07/06/2004)
Gallery 128 Decant 2003

The ewer is copied from a vase published in Jacques Stella's 'Livre de Vases' of 1667.
Credit line
Given by J. H. Fitzhenry
Object history
Joseph Henry Fitzhenry loaned and gave many objects to the Victoria and Albert Museum between 1870 and 1913. In 1910, to mark the opening of the new buildings designed by Aston Webb, he presented his collections of French porcelain and Dutch faience. Several other departments were also beneficiaries of his generosity.

Born in 1836, Joseph Henry Fitzhenry was a prodigious art collector and dealer. He was a friend of the art collectors Sir Richard Wallace, George Salting and J. Pierpont Morgan, to the latter of whom he provided advice on purchases. According to his obituarist, 'Nothing is certainly known about Mr. Fitzhenry’s origin or early life'. Fitzhenry was a founding member of the V&A’s Advisory Council, attending only one meeting before he died in London on 15 March 1913, aged 77. He was buried in Brompton cemetery.
Summary
The demand for 'antique' style decorative arts such as this ewer and basin, was so great in the late-18th century that, in addition to copying surviving Classical antiquities, manufacturers took designs from prints of the 17th and 18th centuries. Some of these prints were highly fanciful inventions, which were not seriously intended as models for production. The design for the shape of this ewer, the body, handle and spout, is taken from plate 10 of "Livre de Vases", published in 1667 after drawings by the French painter Jacques Stella (1596 - 1657).
The ewer and basin were made in the Duc d'Angoulême's porcelain factory, Paris. In 1781 Christoph Dihl (1752-1830), Antoine Guérhard (d.1793) and his wife Louise-Françoise-Madelaine Croizé (1751-1831) established a factory under the protection of the then only five year old Duc d’Angoulême (1775-1844). This Royal patronage allowed the factory to manufacture coloured and gilt porcelain which had been monopolised by Sèvres since 1766. It operated first at Rue de Bondy, Paris moving in 1789 to rue du Temple. The factory enjoyed success and continued after the Revolution. The factory suffered financial difficulties in the early-19th century eventually leading to closure in 1828.
Collection
Accession number
C.517&A-1909

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdJune 7, 2004
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest