Two-handled flask, one of a pair

During the early 1860s, aesthete, scholar and collector, Alfred Morrison (1821-1897) hired Owen Jones to furnish his estate in Wiltshire, Fonthill House and his house in Carlton Terrace in London in the Islamic style. Twenty years before, Jones published a pioneering work documenting Islamic style: Plans, Elevations, Sections and Details of the Alhambra. In his own designs, Owen drew upon Islamic elements and forms. The enamel ornament of this pair of glass flasks, made by the glass manufacturer Philippe-Joseph Brocard, was inspired by mosque lamps. Brocard revived in France the art of enamel on glass, a technique developed in Syria during the 14th century. The enamel decoration incorporates Morrison's entwined initials. Owen designed these flasks to compliment his Islamic design scheme for Morrison's London house, much of which retains intact. The flasks were probably placed upon a mantelpiece in front of a mirror so they could be seen from all angles.