Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
British Galleries, Room 122

Juno

Bust
ca. 1850 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

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.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleJuno (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Parian ware
Brief description
Bust of Juno of 'Parian ware,' modelled by William Theed, made at Copeland & Co., Stoke-on-Trent, ca. 1850
Physical description
Bust of Juno of 'Parian ware,' copied from an antique Graeco-Roman bust known as 'Juno Ludovisi.' The goddess wears a frontal decorated with anthemion ornament. Circular pedestal.
Dimensions
  • Height: 59.8cm
  • Maximum width: 35.8cm
  • Maximum depth: 31cm
30 to 50 estimated by cons. Dimensions checked: measured; 07/01/1999 by jc needs to be weighed.
Marks and inscriptions
'COPELAND' (Impressed)
Gallery label
British Galleries: More than ten firms exhibited Parian ware at the Exhibition. Copeland & Co. were one of the firms who claimed to have invented it. Parian was intended to resemble statuary marble from Paros, Greece, and this island gave it its name. It was often used to make figures from classical mythology. Juno is the Roman name for Hera, the chief goddess of Olympus, and both the sister and wife of Jupiter (Zeus).(27/03/2003)
Credit line
Transferred from the Museum of Practical Geology, Jermyn Street
Object history
Manufactured by W.T.Copeland & Co., Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire; copied by William Theed (born in Trentham, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire 1804, died in London, 1891) from an antique Graeco-Roman bust of Juno known as the 'Juno Ludovisi'.

Obtained from the Great Exhibition of 1851. Transferred from the Museum of Practical Geology, Jermyn Street.
Subject depicted
Association
Summary
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.
Collection
Accession number
2781-1901

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Record createdMarch 27, 2003
Record URL
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