Christopher Dresser's metalwork, such as his tea set and tea pot from 1834-1904 vary greatly from such metal vessels and ornaments more representative of the orthodox taste of the mid-1800's as seen in the Orthodox Tastes gallery on the Victorian Web. Dresser employed a simple, sleek and sparingly ornamented style that Richard Dennis and John Jesse describe in their article as "organic," and link to an Islamic or Japanese understanding of "the nature of [the] materials" manipulated by the artist. Dresser's background as a botanist provides a possible reason for his interest in organic and natural forms, such as his bulbous teapots with root-like feet and his oil and viengar carafes whose bulb-like bases extend to necks resembling stems.
Dresser allowed his materials to serve as their own ornamentation, without adding gratuitous ornamentation such as the relief scene and attached figures in this pitcher by a London manufacturer in 1855. His mostly simple, smooth surfaces and organic shapes make his metalwork appear elegant as well as revolutionary in the wake of the highly ornamented style preceding it.
Questions
1. How does Dresser's style fit in the timeline ranging from the style seen in the gallery of orthodox tastes and Art Deco?
2. What would A.W. Pugin have thought of Dresser's work? What about John Ruskin? When compared to Pugin's Gothic ideals, what morality could Dresser's works have been said to embody, if any?
3. What relevance does Dresser's works falling in the wake of the 1851 exhibition have? What significance does the inspiration from Islamic and Japanese art on Western European art have, especially at this particular time period?
4. In what ways could items such as the claret jug mimic the architectural shift contemporary with Dresser's designs, employing new forms such as glass and metal? Does this serve as an example of to what Pugin was objecting?
Last modified 29 November 2004