Skip to main content

‘Anglo Persian’ design vase: C.50-2023

Object information

Current Location: In storage

Titles

‘Anglo Persian’ design vase

Maker(s)

Factory: Burmantofts Pottery
Leeds Fireclay Company

Entities

Categories

Description

Buff earthenware decorated in blues, greens and pink with Anglo-Persian design.

Small bulbous vase with tall slender neck which has bulging ridge one third of the way up. Decorated in the style and colours of Persian pottery with stylised foliate ornamentation including three large turquoise flowers with blue centres, and on the neck with stylised sun rays. Several coloured stripes around the neck. The underside flat, undecorated and within a narrow foot-rim.

Notes

History note: Lent by Rita Smythe

Legal notes

Bequeathed by Ian and Rita Smythe, 2023

Measurements and weight

Diameter: 15 cm
Height: 24 cm

Place(s) associated

  • Leeds (Yorks.) ⪼ Yorkshire ⪼ England

Acquisition and important dates

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

Dating

19th Century, Late-20th Century, Early#
1887 CE - 1904 CE

Note

Burmantofts faience used bright metallic-compound glazes over high fired buff earthenware. Later, more ambitious glazes, sgraffito decoration and ornate designs were adopted. Many workers came from the Linthorpe Pottery, which closed in 1889, often producing similar styles. Victor Kremer and B.Sicard, two French ceramicists trained by Palissy revivalists, joined c.1881 and introduced applied decorations including insects and reptiles. Leonard King decorated much of the Anglo Persian wares, launched 1887, which were hand-painted over white slip and low-fired; and bulbous vases with long slender necks, like these, were popular.

Burmantofts pottery comes from Burmantofts, Leeds. James Holroyd, who inherited Wilcock and Co. in 1879, introduced ‘architectural faience' alongside existing brick and pipe products, and then developed the range to include vases, jardinieres and similar products. Renamed the Burmantofts Company in 1888, the name continued on ornamental wares after merger into the Leeds Fireclay Company the following year. The decorated products sold well into the early 1900s, and production of architectural wares continued until 1957.

School or Style

Art Nouveau

Components of the work

Decoration

Materials used in production

Earthenware

Techniques used in production

Throwing

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: 'BF' monogram / 1105
  • Location: Underside of base
  • Method of creation: Impressed
  • Type: Mark
  • Text: 'LK' monogram
  • Location: Underside of base
  • Method of creation: Inscribed in black (faded)
  • Type: Mark

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.50-2023
Primary reference Number: 227285
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Tuesday 9 July 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) "‘Anglo Persian’ design vase" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/227285 Accessed: 2024-12-25 20:45:07

Citation for Wikipedia

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

{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/227285 |title=‘Anglo Persian’ design vase |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-12-25 20:45:07|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://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-227285

Sign up for updates

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