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‘Oranges and Lemons’ mug (St Martin's): C.72B-1992

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Object information

Current Location: In storage

Titles

‘Oranges and Lemons’ mug (St Martin's)

Maker(s)

Factory: Josiah Wedgwood & Sons Ltd
Designer: Guyatt, Richard Talbot

Entities

Categories

Description

Earthenware, printed underglaze in black and painted overglaze in blue and green enamel, with a design ilustrating part of a line of the nursery rhyme, Oranges and Lemons: 'Halfpence and Farthings'

Cream-coloured earthenware printed underglaze in black and painted overglaze in blue and green enamel. The mug is of truncated conical form with a loop handle. The exterior is decorated with the inscription 'Halfpence & Farthings', in black. The 'H' is formed by two trees, each with a branch which reaches towards the other; a girl sitting on the left hand branch is passing a coin to a boy on the right, their skipping rope and hoop are propped against the trunks. The '&' is a striped bell rope. The 'F' is a church facade and two strips of cloud. There is a green band round the rim and, at the bottom, the inscription ‘Say the bells of St. Martins' with a blue band over. The inside and handle are unpainted. The underside is recessed and glazed.

Notes

History note: Given by Sir Ivor and Lady Batchelor

Legal notes

Given by Sir Ivor and Lady Batchelor

Measurements and weight

Diameter: 7.5 cm
Height: 10.9 cm

Place(s) associated

  • Barlaston ⪼ Staffordshire ⪼ England

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1992-04-27) by Batchelor, Ivor, Sir and Lady

Dating

20th Century, Mid
Elizabeth II
Circa 1955 CE - 1960 CE

Note

Guyatt’s other Wedgwood designs included a dinner service for King’s College, Cambridge, also c.1952-53, and commemorative mugs for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, the Prince of Wales's Investiture in 1969 and several royal weddings; his last mug, in 2005, was for the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar. Outside Wedgwood, his commercial commissions ranged from exhibition stands to coins, stamps, the WH Smith logo and packaging for Anchor butter.

Richard Gerald Talbot Guyatt CBE (1914-2007) began his career as a freelance graphic designer with posters for Shell-Mex and BP and book illustrations. At the Royal College of Art, where he was a professor from 1948 and later rector, he lead the introduction of education in graphic design and influenced subsequent expansion into typography, illustration, printmaking, photography, film and television design. From 1952-55 and 1967-70 Guyatt was consultant designer to Wedgwood. The company had revived the use of engraved designs in the mid 1930s – a mode of decoration which allowed the artist’s own work and ‘hand-writing’ to be reproduced in a factory setting, and well suited to Guyatt’s style.

The Fitzwilliam Museum holds examples of the jug and three of the mugs from the ‘Oranges and Lemons’ set, as well as items from the King’s College dinner service and Wedgwood Queen’s ware designed by Eric Ravilious.

This mug is part of a ‘lemonade set’ comprising a jug and four mugs, originally made for sale through Liberty’s and later distributed more widely. The set illustrates old London churches, using the theme of the nursery rhyme ‘Oranges and Lemons’. ‘Halfpence and Farthings, say the bells of St Martins' refers to money-lending that used to take place near the Church of St Martin's, Martin Lane in the City of London.

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Banding composed of enamels ( blue and green)
Decoration

Materials used in production

Clear glaze
Cream-coloured earthenware

Techniques used in production

Throwing : Earthenware, printed in black, glazed and banded in blue and green onglaze enamels.
Moulding
Glazing (coating)

Inscription or legends present

Inscription present: Circular backstamp, incorporating a horizontal leaf design; printed in black

  • Text: *FIRST MADE FOR LIBERTYS BY*/ WEDGWOOD/MADE IN ENGLAND/DESIGNED BY RICHARD GUYATT
  • Location: On the base
  • Method of creation: Printed in black
  • Type: Mark

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.72B-1992
Primary reference Number: 11830
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Friday 15 January 2021 Last processed: Wednesday 13 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "‘Oranges and Lemons’ mug (St Martin's)" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/11830 Accessed: 2024-11-02 22:15:13

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/11830 |title=‘Oranges and Lemons’ mug (St Martin's) |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-02 22:15:13|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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