Demosthenes
Figure
ca.1790-1810 (made)
ca.1790-1810 (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.
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 | |
| Titles |
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| Materials and techniques | Earthenware painted with enamels |
| Brief description | Figure of 'Demosthenes', earthenware painted with enamels, probably by Enoch Wood, ca.1790-1810. |
| Physical description | Male figure in earthenware painted with enamels, in robes, standing beside a plinth decorated with the God Hermes in relief and on which lies a manuscript, painted to imitate writing but only 'PART VII' can be read. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Mass produced |
| Credit line | Bought from the Haliburton Collection |
| Object history | Purchased, Haliburton Collection |
| 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 references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 53-1874 |
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| Record created | May 7, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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