Figure thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Ceramics, Room 138, The Harry and Carol Djanogly Gallery

Figure

ca. 1790-1818 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The figure represents the Athenian orator Demosthenes (324-322 BC). The relief on the side of the plinth shows Hermes, messenger of the gods, who was associated with eloquence and reasoning; and this feature therefore also alludes to Demosthenes' oratorial skill.
The attribution to Enoch Wood's factory is based on similar figure with the mark 'E WOOD' in the Fitzwilliam Museum (inventory number C.900-1928). The V&A figure differs from the Fitwilliam example in that scroll does not overhang the plinth. The figure derives from a full-size plaster statue made in the 1750s in the London workshop of John Cheere, who later sold reduced sized casts of it. Wood could have obtained his cast from Charles Harris (died 1795), the owner of another London plaster shop. Harris's catalogue of about 1790 lists a model of Demosthenes, as well as several other subjects manufactured by Wood.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Lead-glazed earthenware, painted in overglaze enamels and moulded
Brief description
Figure of Demosthenes, a bearded man in lead-glazed earthenware, painted in overglaze enamels, and emblematic of Eloquence, made by Enoch Wood or Wood & Caldwell, Burslem, ca. 1790-1818.
Physical description
Figure of Demosthenes, a bearded man in lead-glazed earthenware, painted in overglaze enamels, and emblematic of Eloquence. He is standing on an oblong black plinth leaning forward with his right arm outstretched, his left arm holding his mantle which reaches to the ground and is coloured purple with yellow lining. By his side is a square stone-coloured pedestal, moulded with a plinth and cornice, and on the front is a low relief representing mercury flying through the clouds, and Demosthenes speaking to the waves. Resting on the pedestal is a scroll covered with simulated writing.
Dimensions
  • Height: 46.9cm
Credit line
Given by Lady Charlotte Schreiber
Object history
Sometimes known as St. Paul preaching at Athens. The models is after a 1750s statue by the sculptor John Cheere.
Subjects depicted
Summary
The figure represents the Athenian orator Demosthenes (324-322 BC). The relief on the side of the plinth shows Hermes, messenger of the gods, who was associated with eloquence and reasoning; and this feature therefore also alludes to Demosthenes' oratorial skill.
The attribution to Enoch Wood's factory is based on similar figure with the mark 'E WOOD' in the Fitzwilliam Museum (inventory number C.900-1928). The V&A figure differs from the Fitwilliam example in that scroll does not overhang the plinth. The figure derives from a full-size plaster statue made in the 1750s in the London workshop of John Cheere, who later sold reduced sized casts of it. Wood could have obtained his cast from Charles Harris (died 1795), the owner of another London plaster shop. Harris's catalogue of about 1790 lists a model of Demosthenes, as well as several other subjects manufactured by Wood.
Bibliographic reference
Poole, Julia E., English Earthenware Pottery (Fitzwilliam Museum Handbooks) (Cambridge University Press: 1995), cat. 37, p. 84
Other number
Sch. II 310 - Schreiber number
Collection
Accession number
414:1216-1885

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Record createdApril 16, 2009
Record URL
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