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Venus holding a Dove: C.891-1928

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Current Location: In storage

Titles

Venus holding a Dove

Maker(s)

Production: Unidentified Staffordshire factory

Entities

Categories

Description

Lead-glazed earthenware painted in polychrome enamels

Cream earthenware, press-moulded, lead-glazed, and painted in blue, green, yellow, flesh pink, red, beige, brown, and black enamels. Venus stands on a low circular mound supported by a larger almost square straight-sided base, which is closed underneath and has chamfered inner sides and a large oval ventilation hole in the centre. She is barefooted and stands on her left foot with her right foot a little behind it and her right knee relaxed. Her head is turned slightly to her right, and she holds a beige-coloured dove on her right hand at chest level. Her left arm is by her side, and she holds up her tunic to reveal the lower part of her left leg. . Her brown hair is swept up onto the top of her head behind a frontlet studded with green and blue 'jewels', and two tresses hang down over her shoulders. She wears a long yellow dress scattered with groups of three leaves and spots in black. It has green edgings round the right armhole, neckline, left sleeve and hemline, and round the waist has a red sash tied at centre front. The mound is yellowish green and there is a reddish-brown line running round the outside of the base.

Notes

History note: Mr Rudd, High Street, Southampton where bought by Mrs Dickson, who gave it on December 5, 1915 at Bournemouth to Dr J.W.L. Glaisher, FRS, Trinity College, Cambridge

Legal notes

Dr J. W. L. Glaisher Bequest

Measurements and weight

Height: 25.9 cm

Acquisition and important dates

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

Dating

19th Century, Early
George III
Circa 1800 - 1820

Note

Different versions of the same model are C.889-1928 and C.890-1928

School or Style

Neoclassical

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Decoration composed of enamel ( blue, green, yellow, flesh pink, red, beige, brown, and black)
Surface composed of lead-glaze ( very slightly blue tinted)
Base Depth 10.9 cm Width 10.8 cm

Materials used in production

cream Earthenware

Techniques used in production

Press-moulding

Inscription or legends present

Inscription present: rectangular white paper stick-on label with cut corners

  • Text: No 4112./Staffordshnire/figure of woman/with dove./Given me at/Bournemouth/Dec 4,1915
  • Location: On base
  • Method of creation: Hand-written in black ink
  • Type: Label

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.891-1928
Primary reference Number: 76294
Old object number: 4112

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Tuesday 30 April 2024

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 (2025) "Venus holding a Dove" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/76294 Accessed: 2025-12-05 06:38:36

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/76294 |title=Venus holding a Dove |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-05 06:38:36|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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