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The Roman Charity
Earthenware table figure group, moulded and modelled, lead glazed and painted with polychrome enamels.
Group representing a girl feeding a prisoner from her breast. The man is naked except for a blue and yellow loin-cloth, his ankles and wrists shackled; he sits on a rocky green brown and grey mound in front of a double-turreted building flanked by trees. The woman, much smaller, wears a red dress with a flower pattern and her grey hair in a top-knot. The base is oblong, with four feet, painted to match the mound above and inscribed ‘GRECIAN &’,
‘DAUGHTER’, impressed into two almond-shaped, applied labels. The building turrets form a double spill-vase. The back is almost flat, though the turrets are described, and painted. The underside of the base is recessed and flat.
History note: Bought from Mr Stoner, London, on February 21, 1912, with another figure group, for £9.10s (nine pounds ten shillings) the two, by Dr Glaisher, FRS, Trinity College, Cambridge
Dr J. W. L. Glaisher Bequest
Height: 24.5 cm
Width: 18 cm
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1928-12-07) by Glaisher, J. W. L., Dr
19th Century, first half#
Circa
1825
-
Circa
1835
Earthenware figure groups were popular from around 1810, although the earliest examples date from nearly a century earlier. A cheaper alternative to porcelain figures, they were often produced by small potteries; very few are marked. Classical or literary subjects were frequently copied from porcelain examples, but potters increasingly turned to scenes from everyday life and topical events. These early figure groups are often complex, including modelled and moulded parts and applied decoration; the backs, though flat, are decorated; bocage (stylised foliage) is common on groups from c.1810-20. However, as demand increased, processes were streamlined to allow mass production and by c.1835 the earlier, relatively costly, methods had largely given way to three-part press-moulding.
Table groups, standing on four or six short legs, were made from c.1825-35; they have similar features, so were probably made by just a few makers. They have in the past been attributed to Obadaiah Sherratt of Burlem, but without clear evidence; they were probably made by a number of figure makers.
The Roman Charity story, of Pero who secretly breastfeeds her imprisoned father, Cimon, is recorded in ancient history and represents both. The scene, which echoes the myth of Juno feeding of the adult Hercules, was depicted by Rubens, Caravaggio and later artists. It symbolises honour and filial piety.
Decoration
composed of
lead-glaze
enamel
Parts
Accession number: C.970-1928
Primary reference Number: 76472
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 Roman Charity" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/76472 Accessed: 2024-04-25 09:44:06
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/76472
|title=The Roman Charity
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-04-25 09:44:06|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-76472
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/aa8/C_970_1928_281_29.jpg"
alt="The Roman Charity"
class="img-fluid" />
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">The Roman Charity</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
Accession Number: MAR.M.39-1912
Accession Number: C.924-1928
Accession Number: 2795
Accession Number: 1098
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