{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O94624"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O94624/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AM6781/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AM6781/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006AM6781","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2020MM5038","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2020MM5041","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O94624/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O94624","accessionNumber":"M.25 to C-1971","objectType":"Egg steamer","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"Christopher Dresser, a graduate of the Government School of Design at South Kensington, was one of the most talented designers working in Britain during the second half of the 19th-century. Unlike Ruskin or Morris, he fully accepted the implications of mechanical production, and was always more interested in design than craftsmanship. In 1876 he made his first visit to Japan, which had a profound effect on him. Many of his highly original shapes for metalwork were the result of his interest in mass production techniques combined with his concern for function and performance.","physicalDescription":"Egg coddler, silver and ebony, Sheffield hallmarks for 1884-5, mark of H. Stratford.\r\n\r\nThe piece, ovoid in plan.  The lid conical, flat at the top, with a cylindrical wooden handle clasped by two collars standing on a pillar support.  The body, the same shape as the cover and supported on two four-sided legs attached to a shaped lozenge base.  Set in the base, a detachable spirit burner with a long fly-away handle.  Inside the body, a removable wire fitting with a handle for four eggs.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Dresser, Christopher","id":"A8351"},"association":{"text":"designer","id":"x36960"},"note":"The attribution to Dresser has been made partly on the shape of the handle attached to  the cover, which is of Japanese inspiration, and partly on the functional nature of the design, the surface of the silver being completely unornamented.  For further handles of Dresser designs, see Shirley Bury, <u>The Silver Designs of Dr. Christopher Dresser</u>, Apollo, 1962, (December)."},{"name":{"text":"Stratford, H.","id":"A10723"},"association":{"text":"maker","id":"AAT251917"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"silver","id":"AAT11029"},{"text":"ebony","id":"AAT12055"}],"techniques":[{"text":"raising","id":"AAT237068"},{"text":"soldering","id":"AAT53949"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Silver, with ebony handle","categories":[{"text":"Metalwork","id":"THES48920"},{"text":"Eating","id":"THES48963"},{"text":"Scotland","id":"THES262877"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"MET","id":"THES48599"},"images":["2006AM6781","2020MM5038","2020MM5041"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"67","id":"THES49731"},"free":"","case":"16","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"67","id":"THES49731"},"free":"","case":"16","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"67","id":"THES49731"},"free":"","case":"16","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"67","id":"THES49731"},"free":"","case":"16","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Stand for an egg steamer","id":""}],[{"text":"Lid","id":""}],[{"text":"Burner","id":""}],[{"text":"Egg steamer","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Sheffield","id":"x29138"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1884-1885","earliest":"1884-05-29","latest":"1885-05-28"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"20.00","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Length","value":"16.00","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"8.00","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"Maker’s mark HS for H Stratford (probably designed by Christopher Dresser), Sheffield hallmarks for 1884-5","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":"A8728"},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""},{"content":"Crest","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Engraved on the front othe cover, unidentified."}],"objectHistory":"Christopher Dresser was one of the most talented designers to graduate from the South Kensington, Government School of Design.  Unlike Ruskin or Morris, he fully accepted the implications of mechanical production and was always more interested in design than craftsmanship.  In 1876, he made his first visit to Japan which had a profound effect upon him.  Many of his highly original shapes for metalwork arose out of a dual concern for the techniques for mass production and the function of the articles he designed.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Egg steamer or coddler, silver, Sheffield hallmarks for 1884-85, mark of H. Stratford","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"Turner, Eric, An Introduction to English Silver from 1660 (V&A Introductions to the Decorative Arts), London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1985.","id":"AUTH402135"},"details":"p.34. ill.","free":""}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"crests","id":"AAT233389"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["M.25-1971","M.25A-1971","M.25B-1971","M.25C-1971"],"accessionNumberNum":"25","accessionNumberPrefix":"M","accessionYear":1971,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE","Stand for an egg steamer","Lid","Burner","Egg steamer"],"assets":["2018KY5894"],"recordModificationDate":"2025-08-19","recordCreationDate":"2004-03-03","availableToBook":false}}