Not currently on display at the V&A

Bust

c.1855 (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 1851 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
Materials and techniques
Parian porcelain
Brief description
Bust in parian statuary porcelain of Juno, Copeland & Co., Stoke-on-Trent, about 1855
Physical description
Bust in parian porcelain of Juno, with painted crown in colours.
Dimensions
  • Height: 59.7cm
  • Width: 36.2cm
Object history
Purchased from the 1855 Paris Exhibition.
Subjects depicted
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 1851 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
2713-1856

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest