Cumbrian Blue(s), Palestine, Gaza, 04/08/03/21: C.2-2021

Titles

Cumbrian Blue(s), Palestine, Gaza, 04/08/03/21

Maker(s)

Artist: Scott, Paul
Adams & Co

Entities

• Plate
• Dessert plate

Categories

• Earthenware

Description

In-glaze decal collage in blue and white, showing contemporary damaged buildings in Gaza, on a partially-erased Adams 'Palestine' dessert plate, of earthenware with red and green transfer-printed decoration, made c. 1840.

In-glaze decal collage in blue and white, showing contemporary damaged buildings in Gaza, on a partially-erased Adams 'Palestine' dessert plate, of earthenware with red and green transfer-printed decoration, made c. 1840.

Notes

History note: Paul Scott, Blencogo, Cumbria, from whom purchased with the Friends of the Fitzwilliam Museum Fund.

Legal notes

Acquired with the Friends of the Fitzwilliam Museum Fund

Place(s) associated

• Cumbria ⪼ England
• Staffordshire ⪼ England

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bought (2021-07-05) by Scott, Paul

Dating

Production date: AD 2021

Note

The plate itself dates from c. 1840 and was one of many produced by Adams Pottery that depicted so-called ‘exotic’ places, including Palestine. This scene has been partially erased by artist Paul Scott and replaced by his screen print, showing the damaged buildings of war-torn Gaza in 2021. Scott intends for the plate to highlight the plight of Gaza’s Palestinian population, under siege and experiencing ongoing blockades and an increasing death toll.

This plate is typical of Scott’s practice, which utilises the process of printing on ceramics to respond to political and environmental issues. In the past, Scott’s work has encompassed topics including the transatlantic slave trade, modern human trafficking and fracking, as well as the declining cultural heritage of the ceramics industry in Staffordshire. This is one a small series of works that uses screen prints made in response to the Israeli invasion of Gaza in the Summer of 2014. In light of the ongoing political situation in Gaza as of 2021, Scott has revisited this theme and produced a small series of new works, including this plate.