V&A EXHIBITION

The Victoria & Albert Museum’s exhibition - The Cult of Beauty

The Chinaworks are making four interesting designs for this exhibition

2 April -17 July 2011.

The exhibition will be arranged in four main chronological sections, charting the development of the Aesthetic Movement in art and design through the decades from the 1860s to the 1890s. As well as paintings, prints and drawings, the show will include examples of all the ‘artistic’ decorative arts, together with drawings, designs and photographs, as well as portraits, fashionable dress and jewellery of the era. Literary life will be represented by some of the most beautiful books of the day, whilst a number of set-pieces will reveal the visual world of the Aesthetes, evoking the kind of rooms and ensembles of exquisite objects through which they expressed their sensibilities.

Art for Arts Sake 1870s - 1880s

One of the most important examples of the mutual influence between artists and designers is to be found in the startling collaborations between James McNeill Whistler and the architect E.W.Godwin who designed the painter’s studio, The White House, and created some of the most innovative furniture of the day. Characterised equally by elegance and eccentricity, Whistler and Godwin’s work drew upon influences as diverse as ancient Greek art and the Japanese prints and other artifacts just beginning to arrive in Europe.

Our four designs, in limited editions, are inspired by the work of the Aesthetic Movement, associated with museum objects in the Exhibition. Sally has worked closely with Susan Mouncey of V&A Enterprises to produce these pots which are offered for sale in the Museum shop.

EGYPTIAN VASE

Inspired by ‘Egyptian’ frieze, an E. W. Godwin wallpaper design of 1877. Incised and coloured as fashionable aesthetic furniture of the period - ebonised and with gold lustre details.

32.5cm, an edition of 10.

ALBION VASE

Albion - a bird and leaf design inspired by a wallpaper of T. W. Sharp for Jeffrey & Co, circa 1882, the vase with slip trailed outlines.

21cm, an edition of 10.

TRELLIS VASE

Trellis - a Japanese inspired wallpaper design by E. W. Godwin, the vase with the iconic Godwin ebonised table design of 1867 superimposed - the extended rim representing the table top, and gold lustre around the base.

24cm, an edition of 10.

Three views of the Kawphyrite Vase.

KAWPHYRITE VASE

Kawphyrite - a close interpretation of E. W. Godwin’s rare pair of terracotta vases, coated in cream slip with sgraffitto decoration, circa 1877 - for a full explanation of these possibly unique vases recently purchased by the V&A Museum, see the exhibition catalogue.

15cm, an edition of 20.

Adam White painting gold lustre on the Egyptian Vase.