{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1284807"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1284807/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2014HB8658/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2014HB8658/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2014HB8658","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HB8659","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HB8660","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HB8661","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O1284807/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1284807","accessionNumber":"M.3:1 to 3-2014","objectType":"Hall stand","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"The Coalbrookdale Company of Shropshire, England, was founded in 1709 and was famed for its cast iron work.  In the 1840’s, the company’s chairman, Francis Darby, began developing lines of decorative furniture, designed in the ornate styles of the Renaissance, Gothic Revival and Rococo periods.  Given its strength and resistance to rust, cast iron was ideal for the outdoors and for certain types of hall furniture.  It was more economical to manufacture than wrought iron and featured at London’s Great Exhibition of 1851.  Queen Victoria herself became a client.","physicalDescription":"Hat, coat and umbrella stand.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Dresser, Christopher","id":"A8351"},"association":{"text":"designer","id":"x36960"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[{"name":{"text":"Coalbrookdale Company","id":"A9071"},"association":{"text":"maker","id":"x40240"},"note":""}],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"Cast iron","id":"AAT11004"}],"techniques":[{"text":"casting","id":"AAT53104"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Cast iron","categories":[{"text":"Furniture","id":"THES48948"},{"text":"Metalwork","id":"THES48920"},{"text":"Scotland","id":"THES262877"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"MET","id":"THES48599"},"images":["2014HB8658","2014HB8659","2014HB8660","2014HB8661"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"114A","id":"THES49914"},"free":"","case":"WN","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"114A","id":"THES49914"},"free":"","case":"WN","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"114A","id":"THES49914"},"free":"","case":"WN","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Hat stand","id":"AAT164367"}],[{"text":"Drip tray","id":""}],[{"text":"Drip tray","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Shropshire","id":"x29141"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""},{"place":{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},"association":{"text":"designed","id":"x29338"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1870","earliest":"1870-01-01","latest":"1870-12-31"},"association":{"text":"designed and made","id":"x39722"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[{"object":{"text":"M.22-1971","id":"O78490"},"association":"Series"}],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"190","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"02/05/2014","earliest":"2014-05-02","latest":"2014-05-02"},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"54.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"02/05/2014","earliest":"2014-05-02","latest":"2014-05-02"},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Depth","value":"22","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"02/05/2014","earliest":"2014-05-02","latest":"2014-05-02"},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"Design Registry Marks","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Design Registry Marks for May 11, 1870 (as Furniture) and August 5th, 1870 (as Metalwork).."},{"content":"C<sup>HR</sup> DRESSER / 1870 / TOWER CRESSY / PROPERITUM / ET / CREO / COALBROOKDALE","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"Christopher Dresser, 1870, Tower Cressy, he designed and created it, Coalbrookdale made it.","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Inscribed on a brass medallion, attached by a rivet to the back of the stand, immediately adjacent to the Design Registry mark for the 5<sup>th</sup> of August, 1870."}],"objectHistory":"Hat and Umbrella Stand\r\nCast Iron\r\nEngland, 1870 (Design Registry Mark for August 5th, 1870).\r\nMade by the Coalbrookdale Company, Shropshire.\r\nDesigned by Christopher Dresser\r\nInscribed:  CHR DRESSER/1870/ TOWER/CRESSY/PROPOSITUM/ET/CREO/COALBROOKDALE/FECIT\r\n\r\nThis is a remarkably well documented object designed by and made for Christopher Dresser by the Coalbrookdale Company in 1870.  The `kite’ registration marks, a form of copyright protection introduced in 1842, indicates that the design was registered at the Patent Office on May 11th, 1870 (as Furniture) and August 5th, 1870 (as Metalwork).  The brass medallion fixed to the back is inscribed with Dresser’s signature, the date 1870 and the house for which it was made, Tower Cressy.  The Latin, (loosely translated) reads:  “I designed this and created it, Coalbrookdale made it.”  Tower Cressy was the name of the house that Dresser lived in and worked from between 1868 and 1882.  An impressive six storey house, it was built 1852-3 for Thomas Page, the engineer who designed Westminster Bridge.  Dresser was admirer of Page, commenting on his bridges – “more artistic than those of any other engineer,” – in a paper he delivered to the Royal Society of Arts.  This remarkable building, high up on Campden Hill in Kensington towered literally over its more picturesque and neo Gothic neighbours.  It was severely damaged during the Blitz in World War II and demolished shortly afterwards.  Dresser left Tower Cressy in September 1882 and moved to Wellesley Lodge in Sutton, Surrey.  Ill health and financial trouble brought on by the collapse of his Art Furnishers’ Alliance forced the move.\r\n\r\nWhat is particularly interesting for the V&amp;A about this hat, coat and umbrella stand is that Dresser evidently designed it for his own use while resident in Tower Cressy and yet it is quite unlike other hat and umbrella stands he designed for Coalbrookdale only five years later.  These later ones (we have an example in the British Galleries, M.22-1971) have overtly identifiable characteristics of the burgeoning aesthetic movement.  Their design rejects any historic references and is strongly geometric in both form and applied incised decoration.  The design of this 1870 hat, coat and umbrella stand on the other hand, incorporates recognizably historic elements, such as the `barley sugar’ central pillar, rosettes, naturalistically treated acanthus leaves, a stylised Gothic pinnacle and conventional scrollwork at the base.  Comparison of these two stands shows just how far and how quickly Dresser developed a new contemporary aesthetic, in line with the prevailing fashion for English Aestheticism of the 1870s.\r\n","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Hat, coat and umbrella stand, England, made by the Coalbrookdale Company, Shropshire, designed and made for Christopher Dresser, 1870","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"small batch","id":"THES252237"},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[{"text":"Christopher Dresser","id":"C2799"}],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"rosettes","id":"AAT9972"},{"text":"acanthus","id":"AAT164902"},{"text":"pinnacle","id":"AAT2351"},{"text":"scrollwork","id":"AAT10205"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"HAT AND UMBRELLA STAND\r\nCast iron,\r\nEngland, 1870\r\nDesigned by Christoper Dresser,\r\nMade by Coalbrookdale Company, Shropshire\r\n\r\nThis hat and umbrella stand was designed by Christopher Dresser and made by the Coalbrookdale Company in 1870. The ‘kite’ registration marks, a form of copyright introduced in 1842, indicate the design was registered at the Patent Office twice in 1870. \r\n\r\nThe brass medallion fixed to the back is inscribed with Dresser’s signature, the date 1870 and Tower Cressy, the name of Dresser’s London home. The latin, reads: “I designed this and created it, Coalbrookdale made it.”  \r\n\r\nThe stand was used by Dresser and incorporates historical elements such as the twisted ‘barley sugar’ central pillar and stylised Gothic scrollwork. Dresser went on to design other hat stands for Coalbrookdale that were more geometric in form.\r\n\r\nMuseum No. M.3:1 to 3-2014\r\n","date":{"text":"06/02/2025","earliest":"2025-02-06","latest":"2025-02-06"}},{"text":"HAT AND UMBRELLA STAND\r\nCast Iron\r\nEngland, 1870 \r\nDesign Registry Marks: 11 May 1870 (furniture); 5 August 1870 (metalwork)\r\nMade by the Coalbrookdale Company, Shropshire\r\nDesigned by Christopher Dresser\r\n\r\nThis is a remarkably well documented object designed by Christopher Dresser and made by the Coalbrookdale Company in 1870. The ‘kite’ registration marks, a form of copyright introduced in 1842, indicate the design was registered at the Patent Office twice in 1870. The brass medallion fixed to the back is inscribed with Dresser’s signature, the date 1870 and the house for which it was made, Tower Cressy. The Latin, reads: “I designed this and created it, Coalbrookdale made it.”  \r\n\r\nDresser lived in and worked at Tower Cressy, an impressive six storey house on Campden Hill in Kensington, from 1868. He left in 1882 after the collapse of his Art Furnishers’ Alliance left him in financial trouble. The house was damaged in World War II and demolished soon after.  \r\n\r\nDresser evidently designed the stand for his own use while resident at Tower Cressy. It is quite unlike other hat stands he designed for Coalbrookdale only five years later. The later ones are strongly geometric in both form and decoration in keeping with the burgeoning aesthetic movement. The design of this 1870 stand, however, incorporates recognizably historic elements, such as the `barley sugar’ central pillar, rosettes, naturalistic acanthus leaves, a stylised Gothic pinnacle and scrollwork. Comparison of these stands shows just how far and how quickly Dresser developed a new contemporary style, in line with the prevailing fashion for English Aestheticism.\r\n\r\nMuseum no. M.3:1-3-2014\r\n\r\n","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null}}],"partNumbers":["M.3:1-2014","M.3:2-2014","M.3:3-2014"],"accessionNumberNum":"3","accessionNumberPrefix":"M","accessionYear":2014,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-03-11","recordCreationDate":"2014-03-03","availableToBook":false}}