Terms and conditions of use
Vase
(c. 1892-1896)
Medium
earthenware
Measurements
26.5 × 21.3 cm diameter
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased with funds donated by John and Bridget Patrick, 2017
Gallery location
Not on display
About this work
The informally titled ‘Goat’s-head vase’ was produced between 1892 and 1896, when Christopher Dresser designed exclusively for Ault Pottery. In 1893 Dresser signed a contract with Ault to supply designs and in the process specified that the pieces should bear his signature in facsimile, ‘Chr. Dresser’, foreshadowing the rise of the designer identity during the twentieth century. The form of the vase is highly unusual and its design sources ambiguous. Many of Dresser’s designs from this later period take on a softer, more anthropomorphic aesthetic, and his thickly applied, dribbling glazes reflect his interest in the revival of studio ceramic production pioneered by French potters.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Swadlincote, Derbyshire, England
Inscription
incised in base u.c.: Chr. Dresser (r. Dresser underlined)
impressed in base u.c.: ·3·1 ·8
Accession Number
2017.1021
Department
International Decorative Arts