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Juno
Theed, William, born 1804 - died 1891 - Enlarge image
Juno
- Object:
Bust
- Place of origin:
Stoke-on-Trent, England (made)
- Date:
ca. 1850 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Theed, William, born 1804 - died 1891 (modeller)
Copeland & Co. (manufacturer) - Materials and Techniques:
Parian ware
- Credit Line:
Transferred from the Museum of Practical Geology, Jermyn Street
- Museum number:
2781-1901
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, room 122f, case 3
Object Type
This bust was copied from a much larger antique head known as the Juno Ludovisi, now in the Palazzo Altemps, Rome. It was an apt subject for Copeland's new statuary porcelain, which imitated marble.
Materials & Making
Copeland and Garrett claimed to be the first to develop statuary porcelain on a commercial scale in about 1845. This unglazed bone china was vitrified through the use of feldspar, which gave it its marble-like appearance. The Great Exhibition juries awarded Copeland's 'statuary porcelain' a coveted prize medal for 'general excellence'.
People
William Taylor Copeland became the owner of the Spode porcelain factory in 1833 and Thomas Garrett joined him as partner until 1847 when the company became W.T. Copeland & Sons. The firm produced unglazed porcelain until about 1930.
The artist, William Theed (1804-1891), trained in Rome and exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1842. He often produced works based on classical and biblical subjects.
Subjects Depicted
The antique head from which Copeland's Juno was modelled was originally part of a colossal statue, the body of which is now lost. Scholars of classical sculpture now think that she may represent a real person - probably a Roman noblewoman of the 1st century BC, such as Mark Antony's daughter Antonia, or Livia, the wife of Augustus.
