Description
c1750's Battersea mounted vase. 3.5" tall in amazing condition with little wear
and no restorations. This and a few more Battersea pieces I'm listing have tags
indicating they were last purchased at Sotheby's Parke-Bernet in the 1970's.
Having already opened an office in New York, in 1964 Sotheby’s bought
Parke-Bernet, America’s largest fine art auction house.
Battersea boxes developed in the mid 18th century as tiny decorative containers
covered with enamel or porcelain and decorated with pleasing designs. Originally
the boxes were made of copper covered with white enamel, decorated with
classical or scenes or portraits. They evolved over time to become more
sentimental.
The Battersea box got its name from a firm under the tutelage of Sir Stephen
Theodore Janssen, Once Lord Mayor of London at York House in Battersea. The
boxes were decorated by transfer printing, which took an impression from an
engraved plate painted with enamel and printed on to the box which was then hand
painted and fired. The firm existed only from 1753 to 1756 however other firms
producing similar boxes, especially those in the village of Bilston, took up
this technique. Battersea became the collective name for all such boxes.
With advancements in the pottery industry due to the Industrial Revolution,
Battersea boxes gradually fell from favour. Allowing small boxes to be produced
at less cost than the enameled competitors made Battersea boxes decline
significantly by the mid 19th century. They became popular again in the second
half of the 20th century with the development of commemorative boxes produced
for such well known firms as Tiffany & Co.
