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 imageCreative commons explained - what it means, how you can use our's and other people's content.
The Return of the Spies
Pottery: Unknown
Slip-coated earthenware with incised and cut-away decoration, painted in green under lead-glaze. Inscribed 'D/A/M' on the left of the Spies, and '1700' on the right
History note: The Right Hon. Montagu, first Lord Swaythling (1832-1911); his son, Louis Samuel Montagu, second Lord Swaythling (1869-1927); sold Christie's, 8 May 1924,'The Swaythling Heirlooms', lot 56.
Dr J.W.L. Glaisher Bequest
Diameter: 87.2 cm
Height: 9.2 cm
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1928-12-07) by Glaisher, J. W. L., Dr
18th Century, Early#
Production date:
dated
AD 1700
The dish was attributed to Hüls by Rackham (1935), but was reattributed to the Lower Rhineland (Niederhein) when exhibited in Peasant Pottery of the Lower Rhine 17th - 20th Century at the Fitzwilliam Museum.
The story of the Spies occurs in Numbers, 13 and 14. Moses sent out twelve heads of the tribes of Israel to spy out the land of Canaan. On arrival they found that it was very pleasant and fertile, and as the grapes were just ripe, they cut off a bunch and carried it back to Moses on a pole carried by two men. The text does not state which of the spies they were, but in art they are identified as Caleb and Joshua.
Decoration composed of slip
Inscription present: initials on theviewer's left of the Spies and the date on the right
Accession number: C.1856-1928
Primary reference Number: 72762
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Applied Arts
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "The Return of the Spies" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/72762 Accessed: 2024-04-26 03:25:40
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/72762
|title=The Return of the Spies
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-04-26 03:25:40|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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-72762
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/aa5/C_1856_1928_281_29.jpg"
alt="The Return of the Spies"
class="img-fluid" />
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">The Return of the Spies</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
Accession Number: GR.1.1835
Accession Number: C.2988-1928
Accession Number: C.2804.22-1928
Accession Number: 2541
Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...
