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The Taking of Portobello: C.1529-1928

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Object information

Current Location: Gallery 27 (Glaisher)

Titles

The Taking of Portobello

Maker(s)

Pottery: Unidentified Liverpool pottery (Probably)

Entities

Categories

Description

Tin-glazed earthenware painted in blue with ships in an estuary bombarding a fort

Buff earthenware, tin-glazed bluish-white and painted in blue and a little brownish-red. Circular wth a wide rim, shallow sloping sides,and flat centre with recessed base. The middle is decorated with ships in an estuary bombarding a fort on the left. On the right there is a distant church and other buildings. The rim is decorated with pendant leaves, alternating with three different stylized plants. The edge is encircled by a brownish- red line. On the back there are three undulating lines.

Notes

History note: Sir Walter Durnford (1847-1926), Provost of King's College, Cambridge; sold by his executors to Stanley Woolston at Cambridge; bought from Stanley Woolston on 27 July 1926 for £2.10s.0d. by Dr J.W.L. Glaisher, FRS, Trinity College, Cambridge

Legal notes

Dr J.W.L. Glaisher Bequest

Measurements and weight

Diameter: 21.5 cm
Diameter: 8.5 in

Place(s) associated

  • Liverpool ⪼ Lancashire ⪼ England

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1928-12-07) by Glaisher, J. W. L., Dr

Dating

18th Century, second quarter#
George II
Circa 1740 CE - 1745 CE

Note

Admiral Edward Vernon (1684-1757) set sail for the West Indies in July 1739 and in November attacked and took the important Spanish town of Portobello. News of the victory reached England in March 1740, and made Vernon a popular hero.

The scene represents the taking of the Spanish port of Portobello on the Isthmus of Darien by Admiral Vernon in November 1739. This was followed by his capture of Chagres in Panama in March 1740 (see Dish C.1568-1928). The attribution to Liverpool is not certain.

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Decoration composed of high-temperature colours ( blue from cobalt, and brownish-red)

Materials used in production

bluish-white Tin-glaze
buff Earthenware

Techniques used in production

Moulding : Buff earthenware, moulded, tin-glazed bluish-white and painted in blue and a little brownish-red
Tin-glazing

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.1529-1928
Primary reference Number: 72169
Old object number: 4917
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Wednesday 15 September 2021 Last processed: Friday 16 February 2024

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "The Taking of Portobello" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/72169 Accessed: 2024-10-13 21:26:15

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/72169 |title=The Taking of Portobello |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-10-13 21:26:15|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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