Christopher Dresser / Heath & Middleton Petite claret jug 1887
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Christopher Dresser / Heath & Middleton Petite claret jug 1887
CHRISTOPHER DRESSER (1834-1904) UK
HEATH & MIDDLETON Birmingham, England
Petite claret jug 1887
Sterling silver mounts with hinged covers to both top and spout, glass, ebony handle
Marks: JTH & JHM in a four-lobed cartouche, London assay marks for 1887 (“M” in a shield), Vienna import mark (conjoined AV in a 6-sided cartouche)
Illustrated: Industrial Design Unikate Serienerzeugnisse, Die Neue Sammlung ein neuer Museumstyp des 20. Jahrhunderts, Hans Wichmann (Munich: Prestel-Verlag, 1985), p. 131; Christopher Dresser, ein Viktorianischer Designer, 1834-1904 (Cologne: Kunstgewerbemuseum der Stadt Köln, 1981), p. 73, ill. 86, cat. no. 23; Industrial Design, John Heskett (New York and Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1980), p. 24, illus. 9; Christopher Dresser 1834-1904, Michael Collins (London: Camden Arts Centre, 1979), p. 171, cat.no.12.
Christopher Dresser / Benham & Froud Aesthetic Movement Kettle c. 1885
CHRISTOPHER DRESSER (1834-1904) UK
BENHAM & FROUD London, England
Kettle c. 1885
Copper, brass, wood handle and finial
Marks: maker’s cipher
Illustrated: Minor Masters of the XIXth Century: Christopher Dresser, Industrial Designer, by N. Pevsner, (Architectural Review, 1937), p. 184, illus. 1; Truth, Beauty, Power: Dr. Christopher Dresser 1834-1904, exhib. cat. Historical Design, Inc. (New York, 1998) p. 67.
Christopher Dresser / Hukin & Heath Aesthetic Movement Adjustable Toast or Letter Rack 1881
CHRISTOPHER DRESSER (1834-1904) UK
HUKIN & HEATH Birmingham, England
Adjustable toast or letter rack 1881
Silver-plate (articulated model)
Marks: H&H, 2555, stylized fleur-de-lis touch mark
Illustrated: Truth, Beauty, Power: Dr. Christopher Dresser 1834-1904, exhibition catalogue Historical Design, Inc. (New York, 1998) p. 21.
H: 5″ x W: 6 1/2″ x D: 4″
There is another model of this toast /letter rack in the collection of the British Museum, London, as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Christopher Dresser / Benham & Froud Rare Aesthetic Movement Copper coffee pot 1888
CHRISTOPHER DRESSER (1834-1904) UK
BENHAM & FROUD London, England
Coffee pot 1888
Copper, brass, wood handle and finial
***One of only two known models of this Dresser / Benham & Froud coffee pot.
Marks: maker’s cipher, Reg. no. 114566 for 1888
Only other model known illustrated: Christopher Dresser, by Widar Halén (Oxford: Phaidon, 1990), illus. 192, p. 170 (variant model); Truth, Beauty, Power: Dr. Christopher Dresser 1834-1904, exhib. cat. Historical Design, Inc. (New York, 1998) p. 66.
Christopher Dresser / Linthorpe Art Pottery Aesthetic Movement Pitcher 1879-1882
CHRISTOPHER DRESSER (1834-1904) UK
LINTHORPE ART POTTERY, Middlesbrough, England
HENRY TOOTH Artistic Manager Linthorpe (1842-1918) UK
“Flaring Lip” Pitcher 1879-1882
Glazed earthenware
Marks: LINTHORPE, Chr. Dresser (facsimile signature),
HT, no. 346
Illustrated: Christopher Dresser, by Widar Halén (Oxford: Phaidon, 1990), illus. 185, p.163; Truth, Beauty, Power: Dr. Christopher Dresser 1834-1904, exhibition catalogue Historical Design, Inc. (New York, 1998) p. 76.
H: 9 3/4″
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.
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