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Remember Lot's Wife
Potter: Malkin, Samuel
Press-moulded slipware dish decorated with a woman and two angels above three arches, the central one enclosing a rectangular frame bearing the words 'Remember/Lots Wife/Luke 17:32/1726'
Buff earthenware, press-moulded over a hump mould to produce a design in relief on the interior, coated in cream slip, and slip-trailed in brown and dark brown under yellowish lead-glaze; the exterior is undecorated. The dish is circular with deep curved sides, and a pie crust border made by adjacent impressions of an oval implement. In the middle there are three arches, supported on columns with sturdy bases, resembling a reredos or screen in a church. The central archway encloses a rectangular panel with lettering in relief: 'Remember/Lots Wife/Luke:17:32/1726'. Above is a standing woman wearing a bell-shaped skirt, flanked by angels with trumpets. On either side of the woman's head are the intials S and M in relief. The sides of the dish are decorated with three rows of trailed dark brown spots with smaller brown spots in the spaces.
History note: Marc-Louis Solon Collection; sold Hanley, Charles Butters & Sons, 26-28 November 1912, Solon Sale, lot 77; bought for £39 by Mr George (?) Stoner for Dr J.W.L. Glaisher, Trinity College, Cambridge.
Dr J.W.L. Glaisher Bequest
Diameter: 35.5 cm
Height: 6.4 cm
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1928-12-07) by Glaisher, J. W. L., Dr
18th Century, second quarter
George I
George II
Circa
1726
CE
-
1740
CE
The strange decoration of this dish is a reminder to the viewer to observe God's laws obediently. 'Remember Lot's Wife', word's spoken by Christ recorded in St Luke's Gospel, 17, verse 32 alluded to the story of Lot in the Old Testament book of Genesis, chapter 19. Lot was instructed by angels to take his family and leave Sodom before it was destroyed, and on no account to look back. On their journey Lot's wife disobeyed, and was transformed into a pillar of salt (verse 26). The initials at the top of the dish probably stand for Samuel Malkin (1688-1741) of Burslem in Staffordshire.
Front
composed of
lead-glaze
Decoration
composed of
slip
Press-moulding : Buff earthenware, press-moulded over a hump mould to produce a design in relief on the interior, coated in cream slip, and slip-trailed in brown and dark brown under yellowish lead-glaze; the exterior is undecorated. The crimped edge was produced by adjacent impressions of an implement or stick.
Inscription present: separated by central figure
Inscription present: Rectangular white paper stick on label with cut top corners, and a red line running round the left, top and right sides
Accession number: C.201-1928
Primary reference Number: 72995
Old object number: 3599
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Applied Arts
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Remember Lot's Wife" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/72995 Accessed: 2025-03-26 08:19:16
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/72995
|title=Remember Lot's Wife
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-03-26 08:19:16|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-72995
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<div class="text-center">
<figure class="figure">
<img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/aa/aa11/C_201_1928_281_29.jpg"
alt="Remember Lot's Wife"
class="img-fluid" />
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Remember Lot's Wife</figcaption>
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