Product Description
Christopher Dresser / James Dixon & Sons Sterling silver teaset, No. 2272 1880

CHRISTOPHER DRESSER (1834-1904) UK
JAMES DIXON & SONS Sheffield, England
Teaset 1880
Sterling silver
Marks: JD&S, Chr. Dresser (facsimile signature), 2272,
Sheffield assay marks for 1880 (“P” in an octagonal rectangle), Reg. mark for November 25, 1880
Illustrated: J. Dixon & Sons’ 1885 catalogue, p. 96.
Teapot illustrated: Christopher Dresser, by Widar Halén (Oxford: Phaidon, 1990), illus. 204, p. 181.
Teaset illustrated: Truth, Beauty, Power: Dr. Christopher Dresser 1834-1904, exhib. cat. Historical Design, Inc. (New York, 1998) p. 30/31.
Teapot: H: 4” x W: 7 ¼” ; Sugar bowl: H: 2 3/4” ; Creamer: H: 3 1/8”
Plated teapot in the permanent collection of the British Museum, London. Extremely rare model.
Christopher Dresser / James Dixon & Sons Sterling silver teaset, No. 2272 1880
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.
CHRISTOPHER DRESSER (1834-1904) UK
JAMES COUPER & SONS Glasgow
Clutha vase c. 1895
Aventurine blown glass with iridescent gold streaks and internal bubbles
Illustration: Christopher Dresser, Widar Halen (Oxford: Phaidon, Christies Limited, 1990) p. 196, illust. 228.
For more information: Liberty Style: the classic years, 1898-1910, Mervyn Levy (New York: Rizzoli International Publications, Inc., 1986); Christopher Dresser: the power of design, Christopher Wilk (New York: Zurland – Zabar, 1993).
H: 19 3/8 ”
CHRISTOPHER DRESSER (1834-1904) UK
JAMES COUPER & SONS Glasgow, Scotland
“Clutha” pitcher c. 1895
Aventurine blown glass with iridescent gold streaks and internal bubbles
Illustrated: “Liberty & Co.” Yuletide Gifts catalogue, 1895, “Clutha” Glass; Truth, Beauty, Power: Dr. Christopher Dresser 1834-1904, exhib. cat. Historical Design, Inc. (New York, 1998) p. 72
H: 8 1/2” x 6 1/2”