Swan vase

This impressive vase was one of a number made by Josiah Wedgwood & Sons, the renowned china manufacturer, for display in the great international exhibitions of the 1870s and 1880s. It remained in the collection of Wedgwood until it was acquired in 1904 as one of the first major acquisitions for the Gallery’s fledgling decorative arts collection. Decorated in blue and white and adorned with four gilded swans, the vase was painted by Thomas Allen, a highly skilled figurative painter, who completed it within his first year of employment with the firm. In 1878 Allen was appointed art director at Wedgwood, a position he held for twenty years.

While the colour scheme references popular Delftware and Chinese blue-and-white porcelain, the figurative decoration depicts three biblical stories, with each scene separated by an inscribed scroll. These inscriptions read: ‘Delilah enticed Samson and he was overcome / And Miriam answered him, sing ye the lord / And David danced before the ark of the Lord.’ Capturing the Victorian penchant for espousing important moral tales, Allen transformed this large vessel into a classically inspired grand narrative story.

Several other versions of these vases are known to exist, each with a unique surface decoration. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, is home to two, which are finished with highly coloured majolica glazes.