Skip to main content

Two handled vase: C.33-2023

Object information

Current Location: In storage

Titles

Two handled vase

Maker(s)

Pottery: Della Robbia Pottery
Decorator: Fogo, John

Entities

Categories

Description

Thrown terracotta, turned, slip coated and decorated with sgraffito, underglaze colours and clear lead glaze.

Small bulbous vase with narrow base, narrow everted neck and two loop handles laid onto the shoulder. Thrown from red clay, slip-coated and decorated with sgraffito and coloured glazes, with a leaf/seed-pod design in brown-black and cream, tinged with pink, yellow and aqueous green. The same green on handles and neck. Underside slip-coated and clear glazed with a slightly raised foot-rim.

Legal notes

Bequeathed by Ian and Rita Smythe, 2023

Measurements and weight

Diameter: 13.2 cm
Height: 13.2 cm

Place(s) associated

  • Birkenhead ⪼ Cheshire ⪼ England

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (2023) by Smythe, Ian and Rita

Dating

19th Century, Late#
1901 CE - 1905 CE

Note

The Della Robbia Pottery, founded by Harold Rathbone and Conrad Dressler. From 1894 until closure in 1906 it produced a range of decorative ceramics in Art Nouveau style and influenced by 15th and 16th century Italian ceramics. Following the principles of the Arts and Crafts movement, pieces were hand thrown and decorated and individual decorators encouraged to mark their work. Typically, designs were set out in sgraffito over white slip and coloured with special fluid colours, formed from pigments mixed with water and gum arabic, which blended with the glaze to give exceptionally bright hues. John Fogo (1885-1980) worked at Della Robbia from 1901-5, leaving to become a marine engineer at Laird’s shipyard.

Components of the work

Decoration
Decortation

Materials used in production

Terracotta

Techniques used in production

Throwing : Thrown terracotta, slip coated. underglaze colours, clear lead glaze.

Inscription or legends present

Inscription present: Della Robbia ship mark

  • Text: D a simple ship outline R
  • Location: On base
  • Method of creation: Sgraffito
  • Type: Factory mark
  • Text: JF
  • Location: On base above factory mark
  • Method of creation: Sgraffito
  • Type: Decorator's mark

Inscription present: underlined

  • Text: PV or PJ
  • Location: On base to right of JF
  • Method of creation: Painted in green
  • Type: Painter's mark
  • Text: 827
  • Location: On base
  • Method of creation: Sgraffito
  • Type: Design number

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.33-2023
Primary reference Number: 226552
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Tuesday 26 February 2019 Updated: Tuesday 16 January 2024 Last processed: Tuesday 16 January 2024

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) "Two handled vase" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/226552 Accessed: 2024-12-26 20:33:41

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/226552 |title=Two handled vase |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-12-26 20:33:41|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:

https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-226552

Sign up for updates

Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...