Gilded Derby Campana Vase with Enamel Floral Bouquet
A Derby campana vase, circa 1815, the richly gilded vase of typical pedestal form with looped snake handles and a reserved rose, passiflora, aquilegia and tulip bouquet in enamel colours, with iron red mark underside and painted numerals 48. Height 7.87 in.
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- Campana Form Vases or Urns - A campana form vase or urn is a type of ceramic or metal container that is characterized by its reverse bell-like shape. The shape is typically wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, with a curved or flared opening at the top. The vase or urn may have a handle or handles on either side of the opening.The campana form was popular in ancient Greece and Rome, and the design has been revived in various forms throughout the history of art, including the Renaissance and the Art Nouveau period.
- Circa - A Latin term meaning 'about', often used in the antique trade to give an approximate date for the piece, usually considered to be five years on either side of the circa year. Thus, circa 1900 means the piece was made about 1900, probably between 1895 and 1905. The expression is sometimes abbreviated to c.1900.
- Gilding - Gilding is a method of ornamentation whereby a thin sheet of gold metal is applied to items made of wood, leather, ceramics, glass and silver for decorative purposes.
For furniture including mirrors, the sheet of gold is usually applied over a coating of gesso. Gesso is a mixture of plaster of Paris and gypsum mixed with water and then applied to the carved wooden frames of mirrors and picture frames as a base for applying the gold leaf. After numerous coats of gesso have been applied, allowed to dry and then sanded a coat of "bole", a usually red coloured mixture of clay and glue is brushed on and allowed to dry, after which the gold leaf is applied. Over time parts of the gilding will rub off so the base colour can be seen. In water gilding, this was generally a blue colour, while in oil gilding, the under layer was often yellow. In Victorian times, gilders frequently used red as a pigment beneath the gold leaf.
Metal was often gilded by a process known as fire gilding. Gold mixed with mercury was applied and heated, causing the mercury to evaporate, the long-term effect of which was to kill or disable the craftsman or woman from mercury poisoning. The pursuit of beauty has claimed many victims, not the least of which were the artists who made those pieces so highly sought after today.
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