Skip to main content

The Creation of Adam: C.2804.1-1928

An image of Tile

Terms of use

These images are provided for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons License (BY-NC-ND). To license a high resolution version, please contact our image library who will discuss fees, terms and waivers.

Download this image

Creative commons explained - what it means, how you can use our's and other people's content.

Object information

Current Location: In storage

Titles

The Creation of Adam

Maker(s)

Production: Unknown

Entities

Categories

Description

Earthenware, tin-glazed white on the upper surface and painted in blue. In a square, framed by a scrolled border, 'The Creation of Adam'. Inscribed below, 'Gen.2:7'. There is a hole in the top left and in the lower right corner.

Notes

History note: Unknown before Dr J.W.L. Glaisher, FRS, Trinity College, Cambridge

Legal notes

Dr J. W. L. Glaisher Bequest

Measurements and weight

Depth: 0.7 cm
Height: 12.2 cm
Width: 12.5 cm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1928-12-07) by Glaisher, J. W. L., Dr

Dating

18th Century
Circa 1700 CE - 1800 CE

Note

Label text from the exhibition ‘Feast and Fast: The Art of Food in Europe, 1500–1800’, on display at The Fitzwilliam Museum from 26 November 2019 until 31 August 2020: Tin-glazed tiles with Biblical scenes were widely produced in the Protestant world to decorate chimneys and hearths. These 9 Delftware examples depict episodes of food consumption or preparation from both the Old and New Testament, including the Wedding at Cana (bottom row, middle), when Christ turned water into wine to demonstrate God’s mercy, and The Temptation of Christ (bottom row, right) when Christ, famished after 40 days of fasting, refused Satan’s temptation to turn stones into bread. Each scene includes the relevant Biblical verse, so these tiles were instructive as well as decorative, teaching the viewer about good and bad food choices, which would have been particularly relevant in kitchens or dining rooms.

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Decoration composed of high-temperature colours ( blue)
Front composed of tin-glaze

Materials used in production

Earthenware

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: Gen. 2:7
  • Location: On front of tile
  • Method of creation: Painted
  • Type: Inscription

References and bibliographic entries

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.2804.1-1928
Primary reference Number: 15621
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Wednesday 25 November 2020 Last processed: Friday 8 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "The Creation of Adam" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/15621 Accessed: 2024-12-23 02:31:05

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/15621 |title=The Creation of Adam |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-12-23 02:31:05|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:

https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-15621

Bootstrap HTML code for reuse

To use this as a simple code embed, copy this string:

<div class="text-center">
    <figure class="figure">
        <img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/aa/aa12/C_2804_1_1928.jpg"
        alt="The Creation of Adam"
        class="img-fluid" />
        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">The Creation of Adam</figcaption>
    </figure>
</div>
    

Sign up for updates

Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...