The Grubbe Pieces: a review of the reasons for the James Giles' attributions

摘要

In July 1935, the four 'Grubbe' plates (1, 2, 3, 4) were presented to the Victoria and Albert Museum by Mrs Dora Edgell Grubbe, then in her mid-50s. A few months later, on 19th November 1935, during a lecture on 'The work of James Giles'1, W B Honey (then in his mid-40s and Assistant Keeper in ceramics at the V&A) (5) unveiled the existence of these plates and gave his assessment of their significance; he referred to the plates as 'this body of authenticated pieces'. Two tea canisters emerged from the possession of another member of the Grubbe family in 1952 for auction at Sotheby's. One canister can be seen at the Worcester Porcelain Museum (6); the other is held in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.