The Bourbonnais Shepherd
Brooch
ca. 1780-1800 (made)
ca. 1780-1800 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This Wedgwood jasperware plaque set in a cut steel mount is decorated with the figure of the Bourbonnais Shepherd, a character from Laurence Sterne's fabulously popular novel of 1768, A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy. The novel was received with rapturous enthusiasm and inspired the creation of paintings and prints based on scenes from the book, but also small personal items such as this brooch, as well as snuff boxes, fan mounts and buckles for belt, shoe or knee breeches.
The Bourbonnais Shepherd, often shown as a counterpart to Poor Maria, makes only a passing appearance in the text, described as "the roughest peasant who traverses the bleakest mountain", but he provides a useful foil to the lovelorn and pitiable Maria. Shepherd and shepherdess figures appealed to a romantic sensibility, acting as totems of a simpler, picturesque life.
The Bourbonnais Shepherd, often shown as a counterpart to Poor Maria, makes only a passing appearance in the text, described as "the roughest peasant who traverses the bleakest mountain", but he provides a useful foil to the lovelorn and pitiable Maria. Shepherd and shepherdess figures appealed to a romantic sensibility, acting as totems of a simpler, picturesque life.
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Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Bourbonnais Shepherd (manufacturer's title) |
| Materials and techniques | Steel, cut and polished, and mounted with a plaque of blue jasper-dip with a white cameo |
| Brief description | Oval brooch of cut and polished steel, and mounted with a plaque of blue jasper-dip, with a white cameo possibly designed by Lady Templetown, Josiah Wedgwood and Sons Ltd., Etruria, ca. 1780-1800. |
| Physical description | Oval brooch of cut and polished steel, and mounted with a plaque of blue jasper-dip with a white cameo depicting a shepherd boy seated under a tree with a lamb in his arms and a dog at his feet. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Lady Charlotte Schreiber |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This Wedgwood jasperware plaque set in a cut steel mount is decorated with the figure of the Bourbonnais Shepherd, a character from Laurence Sterne's fabulously popular novel of 1768, A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy. The novel was received with rapturous enthusiasm and inspired the creation of paintings and prints based on scenes from the book, but also small personal items such as this brooch, as well as snuff boxes, fan mounts and buckles for belt, shoe or knee breeches. The Bourbonnais Shepherd, often shown as a counterpart to Poor Maria, makes only a passing appearance in the text, described as "the roughest peasant who traverses the bleakest mountain", but he provides a useful foil to the lovelorn and pitiable Maria. Shepherd and shepherdess figures appealed to a romantic sensibility, acting as totems of a simpler, picturesque life. |
| Bibliographic reference | Church, Rachel, Brooches and Badges, London: Thames and Hudson, 2019, p. 36, fig. 31 |
| Other number | Sch. II 536 - Schreiber number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 414:1286-1885 |
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| Record created | May 15, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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