Decorative Arts
Jar with illustrations after Adam Buck (c. 1800-1810, maker unknown)
Jar with illustrations after Adam Buck. c. 1800-1810, maker unknown. Bone china. King Manor Collection. X1993.42.a,b.
This jar (right) exemplifies how the neoclassical aesthetic extended to the decorative arts. The jars’ illustrations show a woman in the classically inspired neoclassical style, similar to Mary’s dress. This popular dress style was inspired by the female figures found in the carved reliefs and painted frescoes of ancient Greece and Rome.
Although the manufacturer of this particular jar is unknown, its imagery was part of a trend popular in ceramics and other household objects of the period. The illustrations reproduced here were based on watercolors by the Irish miniature painter Adam Buck, who is best remembered for sentimental watercolors of women and children, used to decorate domestic items.
Vase “Hydria”, 440BC-430BC. Painted pottery (red figure ware). The British Museum. 1873,0820.350
Buck’s work was heavily influenced by the neoclassical aesthetic, inspired by new archeological discoveries like the ancient Roman sites of Herculaneum and Pompeii. The jar’s images show many elements of the neoclassical style, including a Greek klismos chair, a form borrowed from Greek antiquity. The ladies’ style of gown is also inspired by ancient Greek and Roman dress styles. The loose, flowing gowns drape elaborately around their legs, similar to the ancient Greek sculptures of goddesses. The women positioned seated in profile on each side imitates portraits found on Greek vases and Roman coins. A Greek example (left) found in the British museum’s collection shows a similar scene of a mother and child, although in this scene the mother hands over the child to a wet nurse.