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Minerva
Production: Unidentified Staffordshire factory
Lead-glazed earthenware figure of Minerva standing with her owl beside her painted in polychrome enamels
Cream earthenware, moulded, covered with lead-glaze slightly tinted blue, and painted in blue, green, yellow, flesh pink, dull puce, orange, red, brown, greyish-brown, and black enamels. The figure stands on a low multi-coloured mound supported on a straight-sided square base decorated with a reddish-brown horizontal line and the name 'Minerva' across the front. It is closed and concave underneath and has a ventilation hole in the centre. Minerva stands facing towards the viewer with her right arm raised to hold a spear (missing), and her left hand resting on the top of a blue-edged oval shield decorated with a grotesque mask in relief. Her owl perches beside it. She has ruddy cheeks and wears a brown helmet with plumes on top, a green cuirass-like bodice with a red border round the square neckline, a long skirt scattered with floral sprays and spots, and sandals with brown straps. A billowing blue and dull puce drape is attached to her left shoulder by a brooch attached to a strap which passes across the front of her body to meet the drape at her waist on the opposite side.
History note: W.F.A. Wilson; Christie's, 15-16 November 1906, Catalogue of the collection of old English pottery and porcelain formed by W.F.A. Wilson, second day, part of lot 235; purchased with three other figures by Thomas Sutton for 17 guineas (£19.12.6 with commission) on behalf of Dr J.W.L. Glaisher, FRS, Trinity College, Cambridge
Dr J. W. L. Glaisher Bequest
Height: 31.5 cm
12
At the moment, this record does not display units or type of measurements. We will rectify this as soon as possible.
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1928-12-07) by Glaisher, J. W. L., Dr
18th Century, Late-19th Century, Early#
George III
Circa
1790
-
1810
Minerva was the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Athene, who was goddess of handicrafts, and war, and was regarded as a personification of wisdom. In art she was often portrayed as a warrior, and accompanied by an owl.
Decoration
composed of
enamel
( blue, green, yellow, flesh pink, dull puce, orange, red, brown, greyish-brown, and black)
Surface
composed of
lead-glaze
( tinted slightly blue)
Base
Depth 19 cm
Width 19 cm
cream Earthenware
Moulding : Cream earthenware, moulded in parts, assembled, coated with lead-glaze tinted slightly blue, and painted in blue, green, yellow, flesh pink, dull puce, orange, red, brown, greyish-brown, and black enamels.
Inscription present: rectangular white paper stick-on label with a blue line on the left and top edge and blue plant motifs in the upper two corners.
Inscription present: shaped cutting from a sale catalogue
Accession number: C.888-1928
Primary reference Number: 76291
Old object number: 2600
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) "Minerva" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/76291 Accessed: 2024-11-25 00:58:16
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/76291
|title=Minerva
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-25 00:58:16|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-76291
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/aa2/C_888_1928_281_29.jpg"
alt="Minerva"
class="img-fluid" />
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Minerva</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
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