At our recent visit to Cleveland for the JASNA AGM, we spent most of a day at the Cleveland Art Museum. Exhibited among 18th C. paintings and sculpture were examples of furniture and small luxury items from the period in England. Please click on the photos to enlarge.
Above, left. portrait Miniature of Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (1721-1765); enamel on copper; right, Chatelaine and Case (Etui) c. 1770.
The label Luxury's Troubled Ties states, "Luxurious objects were an essential part of a privileged wardrobe during the 1700's, emphasizing their owner's refinement and wealth. Jewelry, miniatures, and necessaires -- small expensive sets designed to hold grooming, writing, and sewing tools -- were often given as intimate gifts, intended to be seen and admired. Their glittering surfaces, however, disguised a system based on the labor and suffering of enslaved and indentured people, whether in gold or stone mines, tobacco farms, or shops where these goods were made.
Small elaborate boxes held snuff, a form of powdered tobacco that was inhaled in tiny amounts. Like cotton, sugar, and tea, snuff came from British colonies in America, India, and the Caribbean, where enslaved people were exploited to grow these crops under extremely harsh conditions."
Below, left, Snuff Box, c.1770 (George III); enamel on copper; right, snuff box, c. 1759 (George II), gold and blue agate.
The label Luxury's Troubled Ties states, "Luxurious objects were an essential part of a privileged wardrobe during the 1700's, emphasizing their owner's refinement and wealth. Jewelry, miniatures, and necessaires -- small expensive sets designed to hold grooming, writing, and sewing tools -- were often given as intimate gifts, intended to be seen and admired. Their glittering surfaces, however, disguised a system based on the labor and suffering of enslaved and indentured people, whether in gold or stone mines, tobacco farms, or shops where these goods were made.
Small elaborate boxes held snuff, a form of powdered tobacco that was inhaled in tiny amounts. Like cotton, sugar, and tea, snuff came from British colonies in America, India, and the Caribbean, where enslaved people were exploited to grow these crops under extremely harsh conditions."
Below, left, Snuff Box, c.1770 (George III); enamel on copper; right, snuff box, c. 1759 (George II), gold and blue agate.
Above, left. Snuff Box, about 1790-1810 (George III), gold, moss agate, pearls, enamel; right, Snuff Box , 1750-60 (George II), gold, moss agate, hematites (reddish iron oxide).
Below, left, Figure of Britannia, c. 1756, maker: Longton Hall Porcelain Factory, Staffordshire, and decorator: Vauxall Porcelain Factory, 1751-64; right, Hen & Chicks Covered Tureen on stand, c. 1755, Chelsea Porcelain Factory, London, 1745-84
About Britannia, the museum writes, "The creation of this triumphant personification of the nation was likely spurred on by Great Britain’s conflict with France in the Seven Years’ War (1756–63)...In this depiction of Britannia, the figure is surrounded by symbols of England’s power and military might. On one side, she and a lion, another symbol of Britain, support a shield adorned with the Union flag. Below it lay motifs associated with war such as armor, a trumpet, and a flag. On her left, Britannia presents a medallion to the viewer as she rests her feet on a globe, a symbol of the nation’s territorial aspirations. The portrait may depict the reigning king, George II (1683–1760), or Prince Frederick Louis (1707–1751), his recently deceased heir.
Below, left, Figure of Britannia, c. 1756, maker: Longton Hall Porcelain Factory, Staffordshire, and decorator: Vauxall Porcelain Factory, 1751-64; right, Hen & Chicks Covered Tureen on stand, c. 1755, Chelsea Porcelain Factory, London, 1745-84
About Britannia, the museum writes, "The creation of this triumphant personification of the nation was likely spurred on by Great Britain’s conflict with France in the Seven Years’ War (1756–63)...In this depiction of Britannia, the figure is surrounded by symbols of England’s power and military might. On one side, she and a lion, another symbol of Britain, support a shield adorned with the Union flag. Below it lay motifs associated with war such as armor, a trumpet, and a flag. On her left, Britannia presents a medallion to the viewer as she rests her feet on a globe, a symbol of the nation’s territorial aspirations. The portrait may depict the reigning king, George II (1683–1760), or Prince Frederick Louis (1707–1751), his recently deceased heir.
Above, one of a pair of Candlesticks (torchieres). c. 1773, by Thomas Chippendale (1718-1779); right, Flower Pyramid, c. 1699, by Adrianus Kocx, Dutch, manufacturer, active 1686-1791, tin-glazed earthenware.
The museum states, "This pair of gilded candle stands was made by Thomas Chippendale, the most renowned cabinetmaker in eighteenth-century London, for the grand drawing room of Brocket Hall, a large country house in Hertfordshire, England. With finely carved acanthus leaves, swags, fluting, and oval masks depicting the Roman goddess Diana, these candle stands exhibit Chippendale’s masterful understanding of neoclassical proportion, scale, and ornament. His landmark book of furniture designs, The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director (first published in 1754), was highly admired as a source of inspiration by cabinetmakers and architects around England as well as in Europe and America.
In reference to the Flower Pyramid, the museum says, "The iconic blue-and-white ceramics from Delft originated as an attempt to copy Chinese porcelain...
Allegorical figures representing Faith, Hope, and Love decorate the base of this pyramid, on which rest six tiers with spouts where flowers can be placed. Flower pyramids are among the most complex and luxurious types of ceramics produced in Delft in the late 1600s. This example was made in the Greek A Factory, owned by Adrianus Kocx. During his tenure, the factory became the most prestigious of Delft potteries and received commissions from Queen Mary II, who ruled over England, Scotland, and Ireland together with her husband, William III. She contributed to the international spread of the fashion for Delft ceramics."
The museum states, "This pair of gilded candle stands was made by Thomas Chippendale, the most renowned cabinetmaker in eighteenth-century London, for the grand drawing room of Brocket Hall, a large country house in Hertfordshire, England. With finely carved acanthus leaves, swags, fluting, and oval masks depicting the Roman goddess Diana, these candle stands exhibit Chippendale’s masterful understanding of neoclassical proportion, scale, and ornament. His landmark book of furniture designs, The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director (first published in 1754), was highly admired as a source of inspiration by cabinetmakers and architects around England as well as in Europe and America.
In reference to the Flower Pyramid, the museum says, "The iconic blue-and-white ceramics from Delft originated as an attempt to copy Chinese porcelain...
Allegorical figures representing Faith, Hope, and Love decorate the base of this pyramid, on which rest six tiers with spouts where flowers can be placed. Flower pyramids are among the most complex and luxurious types of ceramics produced in Delft in the late 1600s. This example was made in the Greek A Factory, owned by Adrianus Kocx. During his tenure, the factory became the most prestigious of Delft potteries and received commissions from Queen Mary II, who ruled over England, Scotland, and Ireland together with her husband, William III. She contributed to the international spread of the fashion for Delft ceramics."
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