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Plaque
Moody, Francis Wollaston, born 1824 - died 1886 - Enlarge image
Plaque
- Place of origin:
Stoke-on-Trent, England (made)
- Date:
ca. 1870 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Moody, Francis Wollaston, born 1824 - died 1886 (painter (artist))
Minton & Co. (maker) - Materials and Techniques:
Earthenware, painted in lustre
- Credit Line:
Given by Mr C. H. Campbell
- Museum number:
C.279-1921
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, room 122g, case 13
Object Type
This plaque was made entirely for show. Imitations of Renaissance forms and decoration suggested education and taste on the part the owner and this plaque, with its classical subject and neo-Renaissance ornament, would impress guests as evidence of knowledge and sophistication. Ornament in the Renaissance Revival style was increasingly popular during the mid-19th century, partly through the influence of design schools such as the one at South Kensington.
Design & Designing
This plaque is a curious mixture of historic influences, mediated via the South Kensington Schools of Design. The style of decoration derives from, in the centre, Roman reliefs and lettering. The surrounding rim is a mixture of Renaissance Revival strapwork (interlaced decoration), masks and beasts in the style of Italian maiolica from Castel Durante or Urbino. The dancing figures on either side are reminiscent of Botticelli's painting Primavera. Minton's have chosen to render this decoration in lustred copper-red glaze. Lustre glazing, a type of metallic decoration, was perfected in Persia (Iran) and also used in Italy, for example in Deruta. In the middle of the 19th century the technique was much prized and copied in Britain. Although never a major part of its production, Minton began using lustre probably as a result of the displays of Hispano-Moresque (Moorish-Spanish) lustre shown in the 1862 exhbition.
People
Francis (Frank) Wollaston Moody (1824-1886) was a student of Alfred Stevens (1817-1875) and was a designer and painter as well as teaching at the South Kensington School of Design. He was responsible for the design of much of the decorative work, some of it made by Minton, for the South Kensington Museum.
Minton's managing director, Colin Minton Campbell (1827-1885), formed a collection of East Asian and Middle Eastern ceramics and contemporary wares from other European manufactories which was held at the factory, providing examples for the designers and technicians to study. He also kept some of the company's own wares. This dish is from his estate.
