Coffee pot, 1681-2

Coffee pot, 1681-2, Museum no. M.398-1921

Coffee pot
London
1681-2 (hallmarked)
Silver, engraved, with leather-covered handle
Height 25 cm, Width 21.5 cm (including handle and spout) Diameter 12.3 cm (base)
Museum no. M.398-1921

The coffee pot was one of a series of new vessels developed by European silversmiths for the imported drinks of tea, coffee and chocolate. A tapered cylindrical form of pot was originally used for both coffee and chocolate. By the 18th century the spout was often placed at right angles to the handle on coffee and chocolate pots.

The engraving on the coffee pot reveals that this was a gift to the East India Company. Founded in 1600, the English East India Company was incorporated by royal charter to develop trade with India and East Asia.

Baby's gown, Sarah Ann Cunliffe

Baby's gown, Sarah Ann Cunliffe, 1851. Museum no. T.45-1964.

Baby's Gown
Sarah Ann Cunliffe (born active 1851 - died about late 19th century)
Saffron Walden, Essex
1851
Hand-knitted in cotton thread
Height 62 cm x Width 60 cm
Museum no. T.45-1964
Given by Mrs G. Wraith

This extraordinary baby's gown won third prize in the handknitting section of the Great Exhibition. It is important not only as a superb example of needlework skill, but also because the precise details of its making have survived.

The gown is worked in leaf and diamond patterns with scallops at the hem and neck. It would have been knitted on extremely fine needles. These patterns of open stitches are similar to those of the knitted Shetland 'lace' shawls popular in the 1840s.

One of the strengths of the Great Exhibitions was its liberal attitude to both machine and handmade objects. Each method had its advantages and beauties; the Great Exhibition welcomed all media. Hand knitting featured prominently in the knitwear section of the Great Exhibition. It was seen as an artistic craft and the submissions displayed great virtuosity in materials and design. Some of the more unusual entries included a knitted landscape, a shawl knitted with a prayer for the Houses of Parliament, and a pair of cuffs, hand-spun and knitted from the wool of French poodles.

In the mid-19th century, hand knitting was considered a very useful skill for the poorer members of society. Knitting, along with other needle arts, was taught in orphanages and poor houses. A number of the hand knitting submissions to the Great Exhibition were from children and disabled adults and were noted for the remarkable proficiency they demonstrated.

Joseph Nash, 'The Indian Court'

Joseph Nash, 'The Indian Court', 1854. Museum no. 19536:11

Joseph Nash (born 1808 - died 1878)
'The Indian Court'
Print
Dickinson Brothers (publishers)
London, England (published)
1854 (published)
Colour lithograph on paper
Height 44.4 cm x Width 59.8 cm
Museum no. 19536:11

This lithograph shows the Indian Court in the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations held at the Crystal Palace in London in 1851.

The stuffed elephant was on loan from Saffron Walden Museum in Essex. The Koh-i-noor diamond, which had been presented to Queen Victoria in 1850, was also exhibited in the Indian Court. The Great Exhibition included displays from British colonial territories, promoting the idea of Britain as a powerful empire.

The Indian pavilion raised an interest in India, and the visitors to the India Museum in London's Whitehall doubled in 1851. The India Museum's collection was dispersed in the 1870s, and a part of that collection is now at the V&A.

Sampler, Mary Groome

Sampler, Mary Groome, 1704. Museum no. T.125-1992

Sampler
Mary Groome (born 1687 - died 1721)
Ipswich, Suffolk
1704
Linen, embroidered with silk in cross, long-armed cross and satin stitch, with eyelets
Height 79.3 cm x Width 14.6 cm
Museum no. T.125-1992
Given by Margaret Simeon

This sampler was worked by Mary Groome in 1704. It is one of a group of twelve now known in various public and private collections that were apparently worked by pupils of a teacher called Judeth (or Juda) Hayle in the town of Ipswich in Suffolk. The group range in date between 1691 and 1710, and between them share a number of the same motifs and patterns, as well as a moral verse, declaring that 'larnin [learning] is most excellent'. Each acknowledges the guidance of Judeth Hayle, either citing her as 'dame', or including her initials.

Wheel lock pistol, about 1580. Museum no. M.949-1983

Wheel lock pistol, about 1580. Museum no. M.949-1983

Wheel lock pistol
England
About 1580
Steel; wooden stock inlaid with engraved staghorn; barrel mounts damascened in gold and silver
Length 58 cm
Museum no. M.949-1983
Purchased with the assistance of the National Heritage Memorial Fund

This pistol is the most important of the Spanish Armada relics owned by the Raymond family of Belchamp Hall, Essex. The pistol is the only surviving 16th-century wheel-lock (a system of ignition operated by a revolving wheel) that was certainly made in England. It has also come down to us with most of its original delicate gold and silver damascened (inlaid) decoration still remaining.

Several features identify this wheel-lock as of English workmanship. The ornament on the stock (the support that holds the barrel) can be compared to English textiles and other English 16th-century firearms. The shape of the butt is similar to that on other English 16th-century pistols and the damascened decoration on the lock and barrel is very similar to that on a small box dated 1579 that was made for Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, Elizabeth I's favourite courtier. The lock is also fitted with a safety catch of English form.

Like the accompanying powder flask, this wheel-lock pistol originally belonged to Sir William Harris of Shenfield House, Essex. At some date in its history the interior mechanism of the lock was altered by an unskilled hand, perhaps to prevent children trying to fire the pistol.

Musket, 1588. Museum no. M.948-1983

Musket, 1588. Museum no. M.948-1983

Musket
England
1588
Steel; wooden stock inlaid with engraved staghorn
Length 159 cm x Width 14.2 cm (maximum, stock) x Depth 5.5 cm (maximum, stock)
Museum no. M.948-1983
Purchased with the assistance of the National Heritage Memorial Fund

The large musket is a type of gun that was popular with captains of trained bands in late 16th-century England. Large muskets of this length were invariably used with forked rests to support their great weight.

This musket belonged originally to Sir William Harris of Shenfield House, Margaretting, Essex, who married into the Raymond family in the early 17th century. A staghorn panel on the butt (end) of the musket bears the date 1588. As a result this group of firearms and flask have been known as the Armada relics.

The stock (the wooden support for the barrel by which the gun is held) is inlaid with a staghorn panel engraved with the initials 'RI' and 'DI' for two craftsmen with the same surname who worked on it. The panels in the stock are engraved with motifs found on contemporary engravings and textiles. The locks and barrel were almost certainly originally damascened (inlaid) in gold and silver, as is the accompanying wheel-lock (a system of ignition operated by a revolving wheel). Surviving English 16th-century firearms are very rare.

Furnishing fabric, 1855-6

Furnishing fabric, 1855-6, Museum no. 4759A-1859

Furnishing fabric
Daniel Walters & Sons (manufacturers)
Braintree, Essex
1855-6
Jacquard-woven silk
Height 139 cm x Width 52 cm
Museum no. 4759A-1859

This high-quality woven silk was made by Daniel Walters & Sons in Braintree in Essex. Walters had been in business since 1820. By the mid-19th century the firm was recognised as the leading British silk manufacturers, and employed between 200 and 300 people. The firm produced silk furnishings for a number of important commissions, including Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace. The firm was taken over by Warner & Sons in 1894.

The silk was used to decorate the lower walls of the Ballroom, as part of a decorative scheme designed by Ludwig Gruner (1801-1882) and James Pennethorne (1801-1871), incorporating the national devices of England (Tudor rose), Scotland (thistle) and Ireland (shamrock).

In 1845 the House of Commons granted £150,000 to enlarge Buckingham Palace, which was considered inadequate for royal entertaining. Between 1851 and 1856 a new suite of entertaining rooms was built on the south side of the Palace. This included a ballroom designed by Ludwig Gruner. Prince Albert had significant control over the scheme, which showed his interest in Raphael and Italianate design. The Queen's 'fine new room' was opened with a ball on 8 May 1856; both she and Prince Albert were delighted with it.

Teapot, about 1730. Museum no. FE.112&A-1978

Teapot, about 1730. Museum no. FE.112&A-1978

Teapot
Jingdezhen, China
About 1730
Porcelain, decorated in famille rose enamels
Height 12 cm x Width 16.5 cm x Depth 10 cm
Museum no. FE.112&A-1978

This teapot is part of a service specially commissioned by the Mertins family. Plates from this service, painted with the same coat of arms and peony design, have survived, though they are not in the V&A's collection.

The coat of arms shown on this teapot is that of John-Henry Mertins and his wife Bridget Peck. John-Henry was the son of Sir George Mertins, Sheriff of Essex from 1705 and Lord Mayor of London from 1725. Bridget was the eldest daughter of William Peck of Little Samford Hall, Essex. They married in 1717 and later lived at Valence House, Dagenham.

In the 18th century it was fashionable to order complete tea sets or dinner services from China. Coats of arms were drawn in detail and taken to Canton (Guangzhou) by East India Company merchants. The Chinese merchants then had the porcelains manufactured at Jingdezhen. Despite the lengthy process, Chinese porcelain was still good value for money, and remained popular in Britain until British products came to dominate the market in about 1800.

Wallpaper, about 1715-30

Wallpaper, about 1715-30, Museum no. E.517-1964

Wallpaper
Colchester, Essex
About 1715-30
Stencil, with details printed from woodblocks
Height 117 cm x Width 67.5 cm (size of support sheet)
Museum no. E.517-1964
Given by the Colchester and Essex Museum

This paper was found in the west wing of 'The Holly Trees' in Colchester, Essex. The house was built around 1716 and altered in 1748. The west wing was built around 1730.

This design is a very simplified version of a Chinese wallpaper. These so-called 'flowering tree' Chinese wallpapers were imported into Britain from the late 1600s. They became very fashionable, and English wallpaper manufacturers made many imitations. The original Chinese papers were hand-painted. However, the English manufacturer printed this wallpaper in blocks of stencilled colour to resemble the embroidered panels and bed hangings of the late 1600s.

'Colonel Smith grasping the hind legs of a stag',painting by an unknown artist

'Colonel Smith grasping the hind legs of a stag', painting by an unknown artist, 1640-80. Museum no. W.19-1945

'Colonel Smith grasping the hind legs of a stag'
Painting by an unknown artist
England
1640-80
Oil on panel
Height 101 cm x Width 61.3 cm
Museum no. W.19-1945

Wealthy families in the 17th century frequently commissioned paintings to commemorate the courage or nobility of an ancestor. This one is unusual as it shows the actual feat of strength and includes a poem describing it. The painting was made to celebrate the bravery of Colonel Sir William Smith, who inherited Hill Hall in Essex in about 1577. The humorous Latin poem was by his friend and neighbour Sir Robert Wroth of Loughton Hall (three miles from Hill Hall).

The original painting was probably lost in the Civil War of 1642-1646, when Hill Hall was looted, but the Smith family may have had this painting made to replace it. The Colonel is shown in 17th-century costume, of the period in which the replica was made.

According to the poem, a stag had broken into Colonel Smith's fenced garden, and started to crop the plants. The Colonel turned out his hounds, but the stag ran off into the wild. Suddenly it fell into a stag pit, and in pursuing it the Colonel fell in as well. He grappled with the animal as it tried to escape, dragging him along, and finally he overpowered it. He then tied its feet together with one of his garters.

Design for a woven textile, Bruce James Talbert

Design for a woven textile, Bruce James Talbert, about 1875. Museum no. E.91-1974

Design for a woven textile
Bruce James Talbert (born 1838 - died 28/01/1881)
Great Britain
About 1875
Pencil, watercolour and body colour
Height 55.9 cm x Width 55.8 cm
Museum no. E.91-1974
Given by Miss Elizabeth Aslin

Bruce Talbert first saw Japanese design at the International Exhibition of 1862 in London. It strongly influenced his work. Japanese designers were expert at producing geometric surface patterns in many variations and in many different materials. Metalwork and silk textiles were the easiest materials for European designers and manufacturers to produce in this new style.

Talbert designed textiles with stylized and abstract Japanese decoration. Warner & Son of Braintree, Essex, made this design by Talbert for a woven silk. The company commissioned many designs from leading designers in the late 1800s and in the 20th century.

Design, 'Christ in majesty'

Design, 'Christ in majesty', Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1860. Museum no. E.1321-1970

Design
'Christ in majesty'
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones (born 28/08/1833 - died 17/06/1898)
Great Britain
1860
Gouache
Diameter 131 cm
Museum no. E.1321-1970

This cartoon (preliminary design) is for a section of the stained-glass windows made for the church of Holy Cross and St Lawrence at Waltham Abbey in Essex. The windows were made by James Powell & Sons of Whitefriars, London.

Vase, Ian Auld

Vase, Ian Auld, 1959. Museum no. CIRC.240-1960

Vase
Ian Auld
Saffron Walden, Essex
1959
Stoneware, slab built, with raised ornament under a yellow-brown glaze
Height 41.80 cm x Depth 12.50 cm
Museum no. CIRC.240-1960

Ian Auld's interest in pottery developed through the enthusastic teaching of William Newland at the University of London Institute of Education, where Auld was training to be an art teacher. Initially Auld worked in earthenware, exploring painted surface decoration on a tin glaze. However, on returning to England in 1957, following three years teaching in Baghdad, Auld established a studio in Essex and began producing stoneware. From this point his attention turned to the production of slab built forms. However, many of his earlier stoneware pots, such as this example, have surfaces ornamented with applied moulded seals.

Wireless, Philips (designers)

Wireless, Philips (designers), 1931. Museum no. W.25-1981

Wireless
Philips (designers)
Netherlands (Designed) Surrey, England (manufactured)
1931
Bakelite
Museum no. W.25-1981
Bequeathed by Mr David Rush

Radio broadcasting was made possible in the UK in 1920 by Marconi’s experimental radio station in Essex. The station was based in an ex-army hut in Writtle and daily half-hour broadcasts of news and light entertainment were made.

Marconi brought together the work of many earlier pioneers to create broadcast radio, including Michael Faraday, James Clark Maxwell and Heinrich Hertz. Radio became a popular form of entertainment through developments such as the founding of the British Broadcasting Company (BBC), the widespread use of short-wave radio in the mid 1920s and an increase in the number of broadcasting stations throughout the country.

This is an early example of a mass-produced mains table model, with an integrated speaker, housed in a plastic cabinet. The plastic is Bakelite, made from phenol-formaldehyde, a compound suitable for moulding complex shapes in high-speed industrial processes.

Carved oak panel, 1500-1530. Museum no. 2011H-1899

Carved oak panel, 1500-1530. Museum no. 2011H-1899

Panel
England
1500-1530
Carved oak
Height 63.4 cm x Width 19.5 cm x Depth 1 cm
Museum no. 2011H-1899

This is part of a set of carved oak panelling that originally covered the walls of a room in the Abbey House, Waltham Abbey, Essex.

Abbey House was acquired by Sir Anthony Denny (1501-1549), after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 1530s, and finally demolished in 1770. The carvings were placed in a town house in Waltham Abbey, before being acquired by the V&A in 1899.

This frame is a very early example of 'Antique' or 'Romayne' (Roman) decoration, which derived from Italy and became widespread in England from about 1520.

Other panels from this room contain the portcullis and Tudor rose of Henry VIII (reigned 1509-1547) and the pomegranate, the emblem of Katherine of Aragon, whom he divorced in 1529. These emblems were potent symbols of Pre-Reformation England. They suggest that the panelling was installed before Sir Anthony Denny bought the house, since he was a loyal supporter of the King during the last years of his reign.

Model for tomb of Alfred Henry Forster, Lieutenant Royal Scots Greys (d. 1918)

Model for tomb of Alfred Henry Forster, Lieutenant Royal Scots Greys (d. 1918), Cecil Thomas, about 1924. Museum no. A.50-1978

Model for tomb of Alfred Henry Forster, Lieutenant Royal Scots Greys (d. 1918)
Cecil Thomas (born 03/03/1885 - died 16/09/1976)
England
About 1924
Wood, hardened plasticine and card
Height 19 cm
Museum no. A.50-1978
Bequeathed by the artist

This is the working model for Thomas's tomb of Alfred Henry Forster, killed in action during the First World War. Thomas was commissioned by the parents of the deceased, Lord and Lady Forster (Lord Forster was Governor-General of Australia), to complete this memorial.

The effigy in plasticine shows the young man lying with his right hand over his chest, his left arm by his side. An eagle rests at his feet and a laurel wreath by his head. Apparently, four versions of this tomb were cast in bronze. There is one each in Exbury in the New Forest; the Chapel of the Lamp, All Hallows Church, Barking; St John's Church, Southend, Kent; and Newcastle Cathedral, Australia.

The tomb in All Hallows, Barking, was unveiled by Edward, Prince of Wales, in 1925. The inscriptions were apparently adapted for each version. The inscription on the Exbury Monument records that the monument was erected in memory of Lord and Lady Forster's two sons, John and Alfred, both killed in the First World War.

Model of the tomb of the Reverend Philip Thomas Buard (Tubby) Clayton, Cecil Thomas

Model of the tomb of the Reverend Philip Thomas Buard (Tubby) Clayton, Cecil Thomas, about 1972. Museum no. A.51-1978

Model of the tomb of the Reverend Philip Thomas Buard (Tubby) Clayton
Cecil Thomas (born 03/03/1885 - died 16/09/1976)
England
About 1972
Wood, hardened plasticine and card
Height 18.5 cm
Museum no. A.51-1978
Bequeathed by the artist

This is the working model for a tomb of the Rev. Philip Clayton in All Hallows Church, Barking. The recumbent effigy is clothed in vestments, his right hand over his chest, his left arm at his side. A dog sits on a tasselled cushion at his feet. The effigy is supported by four lion cubs, one at each corner.

The Rev. Clayton was the founding Padre of Toc H (formerly known as Talbot House), a youth movement which sought to encourage racial harmony and philanthropic service. He did much to support Leprosy Relief and, too, East End Clubs and Settlements, and travelled widely between 1922 and 1966 on behalf of Toc H. Clayton also wrote on religious and social issues.