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Lot Essay
The official catalogue of the 1851 Great Exhibition lists some 144 'Manufacture in Mineral Substances' ranging from decorative stone and mosaic work to chimney pieces, ornamental tiles and bricks. The Art Journal declares that 'The Serpentine Marble Works, established at Penzance, in Cornwall, contributed many examples of this beautiful material' and described them as 'all beautiful' and 'considerably enhanced by the variegated colours which pervade the marble'. (Art Journal, op. cit., p. 71).
John Organ of Penzance, Cornwall, exhibited a 'Baptismal font, chimney-piece, chess-table, columns, obelisks, vases, carved and plain; cabinet of specimens, &c., of serpentine stone from Lizard, Penzance' (Ellis,. op. cit., p. 769). He received the distinction of having three of his pieces illustrated in the official catalogue - a ewer and basin, a font and one of the pair of obelisks offered here (see engraving). The Jury commented 'a Prize Medal is awarded for his fine and well-selected groups of objects' in 'an extremely beautiful marble of moderate hardness [...]. The articles exhibited by Mr. Organ are remarkable for their large size, and the good taste they manifest'. He also received an 'Ordinary Mention, or a Special Notice' for 'productions of good workmanship' (Reports, op. cit., pp. 1243-1244 and p. 32).
'[Serpentine-a silicate of magnesia, coloured by iron, manganese, copper, and chromium-occurs in various places in Europe, and has been long worked and much admired as an ornamental stone. The finer kinds, known as ophite, verde, antique, &c., occur chiefly in Italy, and are very hard and of somewhat different appearance from those of the Lizard Point, Cornwall, whence are obtained those here exhibited. The Cornish serpentines are extremely varied in colour, exhibiting veins of red traversing an olive green ground, and are comparatively soft and easy to work. They are obtained in blocks of large size and are capable of being brought into use as marble, and at prices not much more considerable. A very large block is exhibited outside the west end of the Building, in the south enclosure. Large quantities are now quarried at the Lizard Point. The serpentine occurs in veins, which also contain copper, and veins of steatite frequently penetrate the serpentine mass]' (Ellis,. op. cit., pp. 769-770).
The fashion for serpentine was started by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert when they visited Cornwall in 1846 and purchased several ornaments for Osbourne House, their summer retreat on the Isle of Wight, built between 1845 and 1851. This together with the stand at the 1851 Great Exhibition brought serpentine to the notice of the British gentry. Processing mills in Penzance and Poltesco supplied the stone for churches, public buildings and stately homes including Westminster Abbey and Chatsworth House. However the competition from Italian serpentine, coupled with the fact that the stone did not weather well when used for external cladding, forced both mills to close by the end of the 19th century (M. Price, Decorative Stone, London, 2007, p. 180).
John Organ of Penzance, Cornwall, exhibited a 'Baptismal font, chimney-piece, chess-table, columns, obelisks, vases, carved and plain; cabinet of specimens, &c., of serpentine stone from Lizard, Penzance' (Ellis,. op. cit., p. 769). He received the distinction of having three of his pieces illustrated in the official catalogue - a ewer and basin, a font and one of the pair of obelisks offered here (see engraving). The Jury commented 'a Prize Medal is awarded for his fine and well-selected groups of objects' in 'an extremely beautiful marble of moderate hardness [...]. The articles exhibited by Mr. Organ are remarkable for their large size, and the good taste they manifest'. He also received an 'Ordinary Mention, or a Special Notice' for 'productions of good workmanship' (Reports, op. cit., pp. 1243-1244 and p. 32).
'[Serpentine-a silicate of magnesia, coloured by iron, manganese, copper, and chromium-occurs in various places in Europe, and has been long worked and much admired as an ornamental stone. The finer kinds, known as ophite, verde, antique, &c., occur chiefly in Italy, and are very hard and of somewhat different appearance from those of the Lizard Point, Cornwall, whence are obtained those here exhibited. The Cornish serpentines are extremely varied in colour, exhibiting veins of red traversing an olive green ground, and are comparatively soft and easy to work. They are obtained in blocks of large size and are capable of being brought into use as marble, and at prices not much more considerable. A very large block is exhibited outside the west end of the Building, in the south enclosure. Large quantities are now quarried at the Lizard Point. The serpentine occurs in veins, which also contain copper, and veins of steatite frequently penetrate the serpentine mass]' (Ellis,. op. cit., pp. 769-770).
The fashion for serpentine was started by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert when they visited Cornwall in 1846 and purchased several ornaments for Osbourne House, their summer retreat on the Isle of Wight, built between 1845 and 1851. This together with the stand at the 1851 Great Exhibition brought serpentine to the notice of the British gentry. Processing mills in Penzance and Poltesco supplied the stone for churches, public buildings and stately homes including Westminster Abbey and Chatsworth House. However the competition from Italian serpentine, coupled with the fact that the stone did not weather well when used for external cladding, forced both mills to close by the end of the 19th century (M. Price, Decorative Stone, London, 2007, p. 180).