Plate
This brown and white transfer-printed earthenware plate made by the Staffordshire firm of James & Ralph Clews features a view of the landing at Fishkill, New York, an historic town on the Hudson River near West Point. The area surrounding Fishkill was admired in the nineteenth century for its scenic hills, including Butter Hill and Beacon Hill rising over one thousand feet above the Hudson. The view by Clews was based on an 1820 watercolor by Irish painter William Guy Wall (1792–after 1864) reproduced by London-born New York engraver John Hill (1770–1850) as an engraving titled "View Near Fishkill" in Henry J. Megarey's "Hudson River Portfolio" (New York, 1821–1825). The same engraving also inspired a view by a competitor of Clews, Enoch Wood & Sons (1818–1846), appearing on a platter, 14.102.102, in the American Wing's collection. Among the finest series of New York State views ever published in the nineteenth century, the "Portfolio” traced the journey of the Hudson River from its headwaters in the Adirondack Mountains to where it joins the East River in New York Bay. Capitalizing on the growth of trade and tourism in the Hudson River region, Clews used nineteen of the twenty views in the "Portfolio" for its series of approximately twenty-three "Picturesque Views” manufactured for the United States export market with borders of flowers, foliage, C-scrolls and exotic birds perched on zigzag meanders. The collection contains additional works by Clews, including others from the same series. It also contains original works by Wall. Refer to the Dictionary for a definition of the term "transfer printing" and for information about the above-mentioned firms.
Artwork Details
- Title: Plate
- Maker: James and Ralph Clews (British, Cobridge, Stoke-on-Trent, active ca. 1818–36)
- Date: ca. 1823–ca. 1834
- Geography: Made in Staffordshire, England
- Culture: British (American market)
- Medium: Earthenware, transfer-printed
- Dimensions: Diam. 10 3/8 in. (26.4 cm)
- Credit Line: Bequest of Mary Mandeville Johnston, from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Edward W. S. Johnston, 1914
- Object Number: 14.102.159
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
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James and Ralph Clews (British, Cobridge, Stoke-on-Trent, active ca. 1818–36)
ca. 1824–34
James and Ralph Clews (British, Cobridge, Stoke-on-Trent, active ca. 1818–36)
ca. 1815–ca. 1834
James and Ralph Clews (British, Cobridge, Stoke-on-Trent, active ca. 1818–36)
ca. 1821–ca. 1834
James and Ralph Clews (British, Cobridge, Stoke-on-Trent, active ca. 1818–36)
ca. 1825–ca. 1834
James and Ralph Clews (British, Cobridge, Stoke-on-Trent, active ca. 1818–36)
ca. 1822–ca. 1834
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