Ashford Marble Urn

Name: Ashford Marble Urn
SKU: MJGTA0044
Availability: InStock

£2,800

A rare Ashford black marble neoclassical campana urn, Derbyshire, England, circa 1840, attributed to Selim Bright.

Provenance: Private Collection, US.

Selim Bright of Buxton, Derbyshire, exhibited at The Great Exhibition 1851, and was listed as ‘S. Bright & Co, Fancy Marble and Spar Manufactory, Centre of The Crescent, Buxton, Inlaid Tables, Vase & C., Of the Finest Workmanship and most Elegant Designs, Admirably Carved Animals, In Great Variety’.

A similar larger pair of urns sold Christie’s London 2010.

Ashford Marble is in fact the hard limestone quarried near Ashford-in-the-Water, Derbyshire; polished to create the jet black lustred finish in the marble workshops. It proved popular as a building material and, as early as 1580, Elizabeth Cavendish commissioned a chimneypiece for Chatsworth. In the 19th century it became very fashionable as a material for both ornamental objects and furniture, and was promoted by William Spencer Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire, who was inspired by Florentine work in Italy.

SKU: MJGTA0044 Category: Grand Tour

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Dimensions: 29cm high, 15cm diameter, 9cm square at base

Footnote

The Grand Tour of the late 17th, 18th and 19th centuries saw many upper class, wealthy and aristocratic gentlemen travel to Italy and Europe, particularly Rome, Venice and Florence, for pleasure, education and inspiration. This afforded them the opportunity to view important classical and Renaissance works of art and architecture.

The term ‘Grand Tour’ was coined by the Catholic priest and travel writer Richard Lassels (circa 1603-68), who used it in his influential guidebook The Voyage of Italy, published in 1670, to describe young lords travelling abroad to learn about art, architecture and antiquity.

Robert Adam wrote of Rome in 1755, ‘Rome is the most glorious place in the universal world. A grandeur and tranquillity reigns in it, everywhere noble and striking remains of antiquity appear in it, which are so many that one who has spent a dozen years in seeing is still surprised with something new…’

Many Grand tourists collected souvenirs in the form of bronze and marble models of sculpture and architecture, and formed collections of Grand Tour objects for their English country houses, most notably Chatsworth House.