#object focus

[cobaltrelics]

Not everything leaves

[cultureandkitsch]

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. 

All of these commodes are good examples of Japanese export lacquer that has been adapted to suit European tastes and sensibilities. They all have a wooden carcase, the most common being oak, which has been carefully veneered with panels of Japanese lacquer. Japanese lacquer was imported into Europe through out the 17th century, primarily by the Dutch East India Company. Japanese lacquer entered Europe in the form of cabinets, screens and chests. Panels of lacquer were detached from these pieces, and used to veneer modern forms such as these commodes. The march ands-merciers played a pivotal role in facilitating the production of these commodes, as they sourced the lacquer, and sent it to cabinet makers. The most skilled cabinet makers were entrusted with the task of using Japanese lacquer as a veneer, and used heat to make lacquer sheets more malleable. Joins and imperfections in the lacquer were then concealed by elaborate mounts, which also served the purpose of tying the design of the commodes together. These four commodes are particularly good examples of lacquer being adapted to fashionable European forms. 

[cultureandkitsch]

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. 

I really like these plates - the design is elegant and understated, but incredibly visually effective. 

[cultureandkitsch]

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. 

The shape of these flower pyramids was probably based on the form of Chinese pagodas, while the blue and white earthenware imitated the highly fashionable Chinese porcelain, which was imported into Europe in vast quantities. 

[cultureandkitsch]

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. 

The Derby Factory was at the top end of the market, and sold much of it's output from factory showrooms in London's Covent Garden. 

[cultureandkitsch]

OBJECT FOCUS: SNUFF BOTTLES

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

A few months ago I posted about snuff boxes - and I really find it fascinating that a whole material culture can emerge around one practice. Snuff is a powdered tobacco which is usually blended with aromatic herbs and spices. The habit of snuff taking originated in China, and spread to the West during the 17th century. By the 18th century it was a firmly established tradition. Snuff was generally covered in a small bottle, and these beautiful objects became collectors items in the 20th century - as these examples show, snuff bottles demonstrate a great variety of decorative technique. 

[cultureandkitsch]

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. 

In keeping with the mythological theme, the bracelet centre (5) shows the head of Medusa. This relates back to the legend that coral itself was formed from the blood of the severed of Medusa. Like the pendant and brooches, the coral has been set in gold, and a particularly striking feature of this piece are the hans which clasp the snake-like gold twisting around Medusa'a head - these would have linked this elaborate centre to the rest of the bracelet. 

[cultureandkitsch]

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. 

Example 4 is distinctly different from the other three examples. Rather than indicating a less sophisticated maker, this simple blue and white decoration in fact demonstrates the the influence of Eastern ceramics. This example in particular would have been influenced by Chinese porcelain, which was much sought after by European collectors.