PAINTBOX, ‘Pelikan’, paints and paintbrush inside

[1] PAINTBOX, cream, ‘Pelikan’, ‘Shirley Freeden’ inscribed. Rectangular, cream, with orange and dark blue bordered part, metal (tin?), ‘Pelikan’, pelican and nest motif on lower right corner, ‘Shirley Freeden’ hand engraved on lid, paintbox. Lid of paintbox divided into four raised sections, three across the top of the lid, one larger across the bottom of lid, bordered by orange inner border and dark blue outer border. ‘Shirley Freeden’ hand engraved in childlike writing across left and centre top panels. Stylised pelican and nest circular motif (‘Pelikan’ maker’s label) in right corner of bottom panel. Scratches and paint marks across surface of lid. Corners and edges worn and battered. Simple, long hinge joins lid to base. Base is unpainted metal, with two smaller ‘feet’ at one end, and one longer ‘foot’ at the opposite end. A single metal ring sits just off centre in the middle of the base, next to four small punched holes in metal, eight small indents (in lines of four) on either side of base (where internal paints holders joined to base). Large, child-like, capital block letters ‘S/ F’ hand engraved vertically down the base. Scratches to metal and general wear all over. Internal: Inside lid mirrors raised panels from exterior (indented), covered in various coloured watercolour marks. Base holds 12 small, round, watercolour paint pots, six each side, held to base with metal gutter-style secure. Top row of paints (left to right); ‘Chromoxygrün. feurig’ (fiery chrome oxide green), ‘Preßischblau’ (Prussian blue), ‘Genrannte Siena’ (burnt sienna), ‘Carmin, imit.’ (no direct translation, bright red), ‘Cadmium orange’ (orange cadmium), ‘Cadmium, hell’ (light cadmium). Paints all used, all show signs of cracking and flaking, Prussian blue and orange cadmium paints have waxy surface, light cadmium very well used, with a hole worn through centre of paint. Centre of base, between rows of paints, reads ‘Nr. 66 DM 12’, ‘Pelikan-Wasserfarben für Studien’. Bottom row of paints (left to right); ‘Lampenschwarz’ (lamp black [dark green]), ‘Französischgrün, imit.’ (French green), ‘Ultramarin II’ (ultra marine), ‘Eilido-Blauviolett’ (Eilido blue-violet), ‘Zinnober, imit.’ (vermilion), ‘Lichter Ocker’ (light ocher). Paints all used, very dry (cracking and flaking), ultra marine has a small hole worn in the centre of pot. Rounded, oblong indentation on the right side of base, with central curved metal ‘holder’ for tube of paint (?). Base is covered in similar scratches and paint marks as rest of tin.

[2] PAINT, dark blue,‘GÜNTHER WAGNER’. Small, silver coloured metal, tube of dark blue watercolour paint. Threaded, metal lid, top with stylised pelican and nest motif (‘Pelikan’ maker’s label), reeded sides, can be removed from tube. Cream and dark blue paper label glued (?) to centre of tube. Dark blue band across top of label, alternating cream and blue sections down label. Upper panels reads ‘Gee-Wee FEINE/ WASSERFARBE/ SORTE/ 60’. Lower panel has the round, ‘Pelikan’ maker’s label of a stylised pelican and nest motif, with ‘GUNTHER WAGNER/ HANNOVER UND WIEN/ 42 AUSZEICHNUNGEN’, followed by circular badge-type design with a star atop ‘GEGR/ 1838’. Base of tube folded over, metal dented and marked, label dirty. Dark blue paint visible once lid is removed, but seems dried.

[3] PAINT, tube, wrapped in tape. Small, wrapped in tape, fragile, tube of paint. Unknown colour paint, metal (?) tube breaking apart near lid. Small, dark, octagonal, plastic lid with white residue on one side. Tape appears to be make of paper-like material, bunched, warped and discoloured. Part of original tube label is visible above tape, illegible.

[4] PAINTBRUSH, wood, red, ‘N…REEVES’. Small, thin, pointed, red wood and silver coloured metal, black bristles, ‘N… REEVES’, paintbrush. Blackened wooden end, some red paint worn off stem of brush, silver painted maker’s mark in centre. Cylindrical metal top, with double grooves at meeting with wooden stem, metal tarnished. Black bristles, some worn down/snapped, splayed through use.

Department: 

Collection

Stanwix Collection

History Collection

Collection Item Data