Design for large fireplace white tiles produced in Wedgwood's factory
19th century
Medium
Pen and black ink over graphite
Dimensions
mount: 11 7/16 x 8 1/4 in. (29 x 21 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Randolph Gunter, 1961
Accession Number
61.570.13
Tags
Art Historical Context
John Flaxman's *Design for Large Fireplace White Tiles Produced in Wedwood's Factory* is captivating glimpse into 19-century British design innovation. as a preparatory drawing in and black ink over graphite this delicate work on a 11 7/ x 8 1/4 in. outlines elegant tiles intended grand fireplaces. Flman, a leading neoc sculptor and designer, collaborated with the renowned Wedg pottery firm, infusing ceramics with classical motifs inspired by ancient Greek and Roman art. The drawing's historical significance lies in its bridge between fine art and industrial production. Wedgwood's factory rev...
About the Artist
John Flaxman · 1755–1826
John Flaxman (1755–1826) was born in York, England, the son of John Flaxman Sr., a moulder and seller of plaster casts who ran a studio in London's Covent Garden. Largely self-taught amid his father's stock of classical casts, with minimal formal schooling due to childhood illness, Flaxman displayed prodigious talent early on. At age 12, he won a Society of Arts prize for a medallion; by 15, anoth...