Covered Jug (c. 1845): Art, History and Details

Covered Jug (c. 1845) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Jean-Valentin Morel (French, 1794–1860); Jules Dieterle (French, 1811–1889); Jules Klagmann (French, 1810–1867).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

The elegance and richness of this ewer demonstrate the high level of technical mastery achieved by its maker. Morel studied under his father, a Parisian lapidary (someone who cuts, polishes, and engraves hard stones), and with Adrien Vachette, a maker of gold boxes. In 1842 he went into partnership with Charles-Edmond Duponchel, which lasted until the late 1840s, at which time he established himself in London, remaining there until 1852, when he returned to Paris. Morel frequentlyfollowed the designs of others, and it has been suggested that in the case of this pitcher his well-known contemporary, Jules Dieterle (1811-1889), may have conceived the overall form. The female figure seems to have been based on a design by the sculptor Jules Klagmann (1810-1867).

Object facts

• Title: Covered Jug
• Date: c. 1845
• Creator attribution: Jean-Valentin Morel (French, 1794–1860); Jules Dieterle (French, 1811–1889); Jules Klagmann (French, 1810–1867)
• Culture: France, 19th century
• Type: Silver
• Technique: gilded silver
• Dimensions: Overall: 21.4 x 15 x 12.8 cm (8 7/16 x 5 7/8 x 5 1/16 in.)
• Collection: Decorative Arts
• Department: Decorative Art and Design
• Accession number: 2000.138

Collection credit

Bequest of John L. Severance (by exchange)

Further reading listed by the museum

• Hawley, Henry, "Morel's Silver Ewer", Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine. Vol. 42 no. 03, March 2002

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.