Product Description
Christopher Dresser / Old Hall “Persia Pattern” Aesthetic Movement Dinner Plate c. 1861-1886
CHRISTOPHER DRESSER (1834-1904) UK
OLD HALL EARTHENWARE CO. (1861-1886) Staffordshire, UK
“Persia Pattern” dinner plate c. 1861-1886
Overall cream gloss glazed octagonal-shaped earthenware dinner plate from the “Persian” pattern with transfer-printed and over-glazed ornate foliate motif; each corner contains two shallow indentations for condiment use.
Marks: Old Hall and Persia Marks
W: 9 15/16″
The identical plate in the “Persia Pattern” can be found in the collection of the Wolfsonian. A soup plate in the identical “Persia Pattern” can be found in the collection of the Brooklyn Museum.
Christopher Dresser / Old Hall “Persia Pattern” Aesthetic Movement Dinner Plate c. 1861-1886
SIR WILLIAM REYNOLD STEPHENS (1862–1943) London, UK
BRITISH ARTS & CRAFTS
Photo frame 1886
Bronze / copper lost wax casting with an elaborate stage set with a seeded figure and two capitals with mythological telamons, easel back
Marks: 18 December 1886, W Reynold Stephens London (signature and markings in the cast, bottom left front)
H: 6 5/8″ x W: 11 1/2″
Sculptor of decorative works, portraits and monumental figures, goldsmith and painter. Born 8 August 1862 in Detroit, U.S.A., of British parents; his father’s name was Stephens. Educated in England and Germany, then studied at the R.A. Schools and won prizes for sculpture and painting 1887. Assumed the additional name of Reynolds 1890. Exhibited at the R.A. 1886–1942, solely as a sculptor after 1894. Influenced to some extent by Alfred Gilbert and Pre-Raphaelite medievalism. Made many memorials, including those to Sir William Q. Orchardson, R.A., in St Paul’s, and to Archbishop Lord Davidson in the courtyard of Lambeth Palace. In 1904 he designed the chancel screen, reredos and other decorations for the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Great Warley, Essex. F.R.B.S. 1904, P.R.B.S. 1921–33, awarded R.B.S. gold medal 1928; knighted 1931. Died at Tunbridge Wells 23 February 1943.
CHRISTOPHER DRESSER (1834-1904) UK
LINTHORPE ART POTTERY, Middlesbrough
HENRY TOOTH Artistic Manager Linthorpe (1842-1918) UK
“Persian” jug 1879-1882
Glazed earthenware
Marks: LINTHORPE, Chr. Dresser (facsimile signature),
HT, no. 344
Illustrated: Truth, Beauty, Power: Dr. Christopher Dresser 1834-1904, exhibition catalogue Historical Design, Inc. (New York, 1998) p. 76.
H: 8 3/4″
Rare model.
The contrasts in Dresser’s designs for different materials showed how his approach to design was also shaped by the properties and nature of a material. In 1879 Dresser was appointed art director at the newly established Linthorpe pottery, near Middlesbrough. Founded by John Harrison, a local businessman, the pottery’s aim was to use local clay to provide jobs for local men. Dresser’s design for the moulds for the pottery were inspired by a wide range of cultures from Japan, Peru, Mexico, Morocco and Ancient British forms. These very striking pieces, with the metal oxides in the complex and innovative glazes providing the only decoration. All of his designs were impressed with a facsimile signature. When Linthorpe closed in 1889, its moulds were acquired by a rival, Ault Pottery in Derbyshire. In 1893, Dresser signed a contract with Ault for new designs specifying that each pot should be marked with his facsimile signature.