{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O58640"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O58640/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2015HK8383/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2015HK8383/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2015HK8383","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2018KP7246","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2018KP7247","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O58640/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O58640","accessionNumber":"1833:1-1869","objectType":"Frame","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"","physicalDescription":"Frame of limewood, composed of fruit, foliage and flowers in trusses that include tulips, poppy seeds, hydrangas, pea pods, maize, sunflowers and ivy. The lower side of the frame has a spray of laurel beneath which is a a pile of shells and crabs bound up with strings of beads. At the sight edge is an angled bevel, with a ridged fluting effect behind, and with which some small areas of carving may be integral. The carved elements are attached to a plain backframe (possibly not original, about 1\" thick, the wood not identified) which has been cut to the outline of the frame, which appears to consist of four pieces lap jointed.\n\nWith some plaster restorations of uncertain date to areas of insect damage.\n\nFor many years a painted canvas (museum no. 342-1891) in a wide slip frame has been contained within the frame.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Grinling Gibbons","id":"A8424"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28674"},"note":"A previous, rejected attribution"}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"limewood","id":"x42540"}],"techniques":[{"text":"carving","id":"AAT53149"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Limewood carved","categories":[{"text":"Frames","id":"THES48949"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"FWK","id":"THES48597"},"images":["2015HK8383","2018KP7246","2018KP7247"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"BY001","id":"THES392711"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"007","id":"THES302281"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Frame","id":""}],[{"text":"Fragment","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"England","id":"x28826"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":"Possibly"},{"place":{"text":"Netherlands","id":"x29020"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":"possibly"}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1680-1700","earliest":"1680-01-01","latest":"1700-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[{"object":{"text":"342-1891","id":"O132417"},"association":"Accessory"}],"creditLine":"Bequeathed by Rev. C.H. Townsend","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Width","value":"149","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"220","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Bequeathed by Rev. C.H. Townshend:  \"Mirror. The frame of stained lime wood richly carved in fruit, foliage and shells in high relief, by Grinling Gibbons. English late 17th or early 18th century. 6' 4\" (H), 4' 9\" (W)\r\nThe mirror plate written off 1933/4654\r\n\r\n<u>Comparable frames</u>\nA closely comparable frame with mirror (43.5\" x 31\"), possibly a copy variant of the V&amp;A frame, with a private collection (USA, 1999) [FWK object file]\n\nFor a broadly similar limewood portrait frame with extensive and detailed botanical carving, see that carved by Grinling Gibbons for the 1683 portrait of Elias Ashmole (by whom Gibbons' horoscope had been cast in 1682). This frame is now and was originally plain; it is likely that it was whitened in around 1855 and gilded c1866 (removed 2014).\n\n\nBequeathed by Rev. Chauncy Hare Townshend\r\n'Chauncy Hare Townshend  (1798-1868)  was born into a  wealthy family, only son of Henry Hare Townsend of  Busbridge Hall, Godalming, Surrey.  Educated at Eton and  Trinity Hall, Cambridge (BA 1821).  Succeeded to the  family estates 1827, when he added 'h' to the Townsend  name.  He had taken holy orders, but while he always  referred to himself as 'Rev.' on the title pages of his  books, he never practised his vocation... . Very much a  dilettante in the eighteenth-century sense, he moved in  the highest social and literary circles; a great friend of  Charles Dickens (he was the dedicatee of Great  Expectations) with whom he shared a fascination of  mesmerism...  Bulwer Lytton described his life's 'Beau-deal  of happiness' as 'elegant rest, travel, lots of money - and  he is always ill and melancholy'.  Of the many watercolours  and British and continental oil paintings he bequeathed to  the V&amp;A, the majority are landscapes.  He is the first  identifiable British collector of early photographs apart  from the Prince Consort, particularly landscape  photography, and also collected gems and geological  specimens.'\r\nRef : Parkinson, Ronald, Catalogue of British Oil Paintings  1820-1860.  Victoria &amp; Albert Museum, HMSO, London,  1990.  p.xix.\n\n\n\r\n\r\n","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Carved frame for a painting, limewood; English or Dutch late 17th century. In the style of Grinling Gibbons elaborately carved with fruit, foliage and flowers in trusses ","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"<i>Ancient and Modern Furniture & Woodwork in the South Kensington Museum</i>, described with an introduction by John Hungerford Pollen  (London, 1874), pp.183-4\nMIRROR. The frame of stained lime wood, richly carved in fruit, foliage, and shells, in high relief, attributed to Grinling Gibbons. English. Late 17th or early 18th century. H. of frame 6 ft. 4 in., W. 4 ft. 9 in. Townsend Bequest\n\nThe works of this kind known to be by Grinling Gibbons, is cut generally in lime, pear or other white and tolerably close-grained woods. His work is generally studied from actual nature; it shows extraordinary boldness, richness without being redundant, and delicacy, which can hardly be said of the carving of this frame.\nThe piece has been stained and varnished, but the heaviness of the work forbids our attributing it to other hands than those of a pupil or workman of the master. We have up to this date no piece from Gibbons' own hand in the collection with which this can be compared; but as the works he executed had a great popularity in his day, wood-carving in all forms was made by the pupils he employed, and this frame has been probably made by one of his successors."}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"PICTURE FRAME\r\nENGLISH; about 1680\r\nCarved limewood\r\n\r\nThe carving is in the style of Grinling Gibbons, but its rather ponderous composition indicates that this is the work of a less skilled craftsman.\r\n\r\nTownshend Bequest.","date":{"text":"pre October 2000","earliest":null,"latest":"2000-09-30"}}],"partNumbers":["1833:1-1869","1833:2-1869"],"accessionNumberNum":"1833","accessionNumberPrefix":"","accessionYear":1869,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE","Frame","Fragment"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-02-12","recordCreationDate":"2001-05-01","availableToBook":true}}