#object focus

OBJECT FOCUS: LACQUER COMMODES 

1, 2, 3, 4. 

These rather lovely commodes have become rather close to my heart recently - two weeks ago, I handed in a 6000 word dissertation on the top commode (1). I chose to look at this commode, which is in the V&A's Furniture Gallery, because is opens up several interesting historical narratives. By using the commode as my primary evidence, I was able to investigate the narratives of Japanese export lacquer, luxury furniture production, and the role of the  march ands-merciers in 18th century Paris. 

OBJECT FOCUS: SUSIE COOPER 'FLORAL' PLATES 

1,2,3

These earthenware plates were designed by potter Susie Cooper in 1942, but were not made until 1949. 

Susie Cooper was born in 1902, near to Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. She left school at the age of 17 to work in the family business, but took evening classes at Burslem Art School. By 1919, she had gained a full scholarship, and commenced a full time course at the school. 

In 1924, Cooper became the resident ceramic designer at the pottery firm A E Gray and Company. In 1929, she opened a small pottery with her brother in law, but the economic crash of 1929 greatly affected production in the ceramic industries. Susie was bankrupted by the failure of her pottery, but by early 1930, a new factory at the Chelsea Works was founded, and this marked the true beginning of the Susie Cooper pottery business. 

Throughout the 1930s, Cooper's popularity grew, and by the time WWII broke out, she was reaching a world wide market. The combination of the war and fire at Cooper's factory meant that production ceased until 1945, and that explains why there was a gap of 7 years between these plates being designed and being manufactured. 

Post-war demand for her work remained high, and as the face of the British ceramic industry changed, Cooper was happy to be a designer rather than a producer. 

OBJECT FOCUS: FLOWER PYRAMIDS 

1, 2. 

Both of these flower pyramids were made at the 'Greek A' factory in Delft, Holland, between 1690 and 1695. At the end of the 17th century, there was a huge craze for tulips in Holland. The ingenious Delft potters catered for this by producing huge pyramids of stacking flower holders. They were highly decorative additions to palaces and country houses, with or without their tulips. These vases consist of a base and several tiers. Each tier could be filled with water, and flowers would be placed in every spout. 

OBJECT FOCUS: VASES FROM THE DERBY PORCELAIN FACTORY

1,2,3. 

These vases were all made in the 1770s, at the Derby Porcelain Factory, in England. All three sets are made from soft paste porcelain, and have been painted with enamels and gilded. The Derby Porcelain Factory exploited the popularity of vases in the 1770s, when the fashionable world adopted the 'antique' vase as a symbol of the new Neo-Classical style of interior decoration. 

OBJECT FOCUS: SNUFF BOTTLES

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

OBJECT FOCUS: CORAL JEWELLERY 

All objects are from the V&A's Jewellery Gallery, room 91, case 19, shelf B - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

Coral is made up of the skeletons of marine creatures, and has been used in jewellery making since antiquity.  During the 19th century, coral was increasingly used in conventional jewellery, and became fashionable in Europe, in keeping with the trend for naturalistic jewellery which emerged around the 1850s. Most of the coral in Europe came from the sea around Naples. It was viewed as a fashionable souvenir, not just because of the influence of naturalism, but also because it meant that people could travel around Europe again after the Napoleonic wars, which ended in 1815. 

I have posted the Bacchus pendant before (here), but after seeing the coral display in the V&A last week, felt that the other objects in the case deserved a little attention too. 

The coral tiara is particularly beautiful, and reflects naturalism at its height. Made by the leading coral suppliers in London, the Philips Brothers, this tiara has been constructed from whole coral branches and beads, which have been mounted on a gilt metal frame. The intricately carved floral bracelet (7) also reflects the desire for naturalistic forms in jewellery. the centre has been carved into the shape of flowers, while the band displays a basket motif. These two pieces show that coral could either be beautifully carved or let in its original form, to equally stunning effect. 

The Bacchus pendant and the two brooches here, which depict Apollo and Venus, were all made around 1854 by the French designer Francois-Desire Froment-Meurice. These pieces reflect the 19th century fashion for historic styles. They look back to the elaborate pendants of the Renaissance, which is particularly evident through their intricate gold mounts. 

OBJECT FOCUS:PILGRIM BOTTLE

1, 2, 3, 4 

All examples are from the Victoria and Albert Museum. All four objects were made between 1550 and 1590, and can be used to illustrate developments in maiolica decoration. 

Original Function of Pilgrim Bottles

Pilgrims used to carry drinking water in flattened globular containers made from leather or dried gourds. In the 16th century, this distinctive shape was adapted for the production of highly decorative decanting bottles, made from silver or ceramics. In Renaissance Italy, the pilgrim bottle became a standard part of the extended ceramic dinner service, which were displayed by the nobility and used on special occasions. 

Maiolica and 16th Century Eating Habits

During the 16th century,the diet of the elite expanded. Widening global markets meant that new ingredients and lavish recipes became more available. For the first time, gastronomic literature accompanied the food culture of the wealthy. What was eaten and drunk suddenly mattered, as it reflected and constructed an individual's social status - the Renaissance version of 'you are what you eat'. The development of large dining services, among which one would have found pilgrim bottles, demonstrated a break with medieval eating habits - medieval diners were well accustomed to sharing implements. As maiolica was a luxury product in the 16th century, sets made of this tin-glazed and ceramic were often specially commissioned and reserved for occasional use or for display only. 

Decoration of Pilgrim Bottles from the V&A

From the end of the 15th century, maiolica ware was often painted with antique narratives known as 'istoriato'. The depiction of these ancient myths and histories, painted in perspectives, echoed the intellectual interests of the period. Examples 1 and 2 both depict scenes from Roman mythology. The shape of the pilgrim bottle allowed for innovative designs on which the narrative wrapped around the vessel. Example 3 comes from the Fontana workshop in Urbino, which specialised in 'grotesque' decoration on a white ground. This type of decoration, composed of small loosely connected motifs including human figures, animals and fantasy figures, and was first introduced by Raphael in his decoration of the Vatican Palace.