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Two 19th century Scottish fire-clay vases
Two unusual 19th century Scottish fire clay vases in the form of Amorphophallus titanum plants by J & M. Craig, Kilmarnock, circa 1890.
Sometimes known as the corpse flower as its scent when flowering is reminiscent of the smell of a decomposing animal, the Amorphophallus titanum is only found growing wild in the rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia where it can reach a height of over 10metres although it flowers very infrequently and even more rarely when cultivated.
The current two vases with their fleshy leaves and sprouting side shoots were made to commemorate the first cultivated flowering of the Amorphophallus titanum at the Royal
Botanic Gardens at Kew in London in 1889 which was a major event attracting huge crowds. Subsequent flowerings continued to generate considerable excitement and after its first documented flowering in the United States in 1937 it was adopted as the official flower of the Bronx in 1939.
J. & M. Craig bought the Dunfermline firm Lillie Hill Fireclay Works in 1896. They had previously won the silver medal for fireclay goods from the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland in 1869. Although the factory closed in 1914 they were famous for producing high quality garden ornaments, fountains and building materials.
