{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O2134"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O2134/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AT2671/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AT2671/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006AT2671","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006AU2573","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006AN2542","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O2134/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O2134","accessionNumber":"C.108-1992","objectType":"Decanter","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"<b>Object Type</b><br>This decanter was designed by the painter and writer Richard Redgrave (1804-1888), later Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures, for Felix Summerly's Art Manufactures. It is an example of early Victorian design especially promoted by Henry Cole (1808-1882), in which the decoration reflects the function of the object. Although designed to be made and sold together with the tray, and probably with drinking glasses also, the necessary co-ordination of manufacturers and retailers was never fully achieved.<br><br><b>Historical Associations</b><br>In response to the Society of Arts' offer, made in 1845, of a prize for designs for a tea service, Henry Cole, using the pseudonym Felix Summerly, produced a design that was executed by Minton.  This won a silver medal in the competition held in 1846 and the experience led Cole to believe that it would 'promote public taste' if well-known painters and sculptors could be persuaded to produce designs for similar functional objects.  Accordingly, in 1847 he founded 'Summerly's Art Manufactures', which lasted for about three years, until his preoccupation with the Great Exhibition of 1851 brought it to an end. However, for some years afterwards individual firms continued to produce objects originally made for Summerly's.<br><br><b>Design</b><br>In 1847 Henry Cole noted that 'RR [Richard Redgrave] and Bell [John Bell] thought Artists ought not to design for Manufacturers: apart from Art Manufactures'.  But later, Redgrave himself observed that fine artists were actually to blame for committing the prime error, which was 'rather to construct ornament than ornament construction'.   However, this decanter is an unremarkable and successful combination of bottle shape and appropriate ornament. The decanter was made with a choice of stoppers, ranging from  'gilt Enamel, Parian and coloured Porcelain'.  According to the Art Manufactures catalogues, the gilt enamel stoppers were the most expensive, at £3 3s (£3.15).  Cole was evasive about the others.  The accompanying tray came in two versions also.","physicalDescription":"","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Redgrave, Richard (CB, RA, ARA)","id":"A8777"},"association":{"text":"designer","id":"AAT25190"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[{"name":{"text":"W. H. B. & J. Richardson","id":"A9242"},"association":{"text":"manufacturer","id":"AAT25230"},"note":""}],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[],"techniques":[],"materialsAndTechniques":"Glass, wheel-cut and gilded","categories":[{"text":"ELISE","id":"THES48961"},{"text":"British Galleries","id":"THES48985"},{"text":"Glass","id":"THES48946"}],"styles":[{"text":"VICTORIAN","id":"x29321"}],"collectionCode":{"text":"CER","id":"THES48594"},"images":["2006AT2671","2006AU2573","2006AN2542"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"122G (VA)","id":"THES49219"},"free":"","case":"CA2","shelf":"","box":"7"}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Decanter","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Stourbridge","id":"x29187"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1848","earliest":"1848-01-01","latest":"1848-01-01"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"34","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Diameter","value":"14.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Diameter","value":"9.3","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"base","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"Dimensions checked: Measured; 07/07/1999 by Terry\n\nDiam of base 9.3 cms","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"Inscribed: 'SHERRY' and R.REDGRAVE/FS/RICHARDSON'S VITRIFIED' painted in enamel","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"decoration and Makers's mark","note":"decoration and Makers's mark"}],"objectHistory":"Designed by Richard Redgrave CB, RA (born in London, 1804, died there in 1888) for Felix Summerly's Art Manufactures; made by W.H.B. & J. Richardson,  Stourbridge, West Midlands","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Decanter, England (Stourbridge), designed by Richard Redgrave, made by W. H. B. & J. Richardson, 1848-1848, C.108-1992  .","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"Commissioned by Henry Cole for his company 'Felix Summerly's Manufactures', which engaged artists to design everyday articles with 'appropriate' and artistic ornament. These articles were made by a variety of firms, whose other products would have been severely criticised by Cole and his colleagues (see for example, the cut glass decanter shown alongside, also made by Richardson's, label number 9253)    The original design of this decanter included stoppers in parian porcelain. The decoration of bunches of grapes was deemed appropriate to its use as a container for Sherry.","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null}},{"text":"British Galleries:\r\nWINE TRAY AND DECANTER<br>\r\nThis tray was specifically described as being designed 'on the new principle of fixing decanters and preventing their shifting among the glasses'. The  idea of a tray shaped for ease of handling may have been jointly conceived by Henry Cole and Richard Redgrave. The decoration of bunches of grapes on the decanter was deemed appropriate to its use as a container for sherry.","date":{"text":"27/03/2003","earliest":"2003-03-27","latest":"2003-03-27"}}],"partNumbers":["C.108-1992"],"accessionNumberNum":"108","accessionNumberPrefix":"C","accessionYear":1992,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"","id":""},"number":""}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":["2019LM5748","2019LR4098","2019LV6500","2019LV5691"],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-20","recordCreationDate":"1997-12-13","availableToBook":false}}