These images are provided for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons License (BY-NC-ND). To license a high resolution version, please contact our image library who will discuss fees, terms and waivers.
Download this imageCreative commons explained - what it means, how you can use our's and other people's content.
A Mermaid holding a Mirror and Comb
Potter: Toft, Ralph
Circular earthenware dish coated with cream slip and slip-trailed in two shades of brown with a mermaid holding a mirror, a trellis border, and the name RALPH TOFT.
Buff earthenware, thrown, the front coated with cream slip and decorated with slip-trailing in brown and dark brown, 'jewelling' in cream slip, and yellowish lead-glaze. The reverse is undecorated. Circular with a wide sloping rim, which has warped, and a well with deep curved sides, and flat central area. A suspension hole has been bored through the rim close to the top edge. The well is occupied by a mermaid with long wavy hair, who has her left arm raised and on her right supports a comb. Below her is a wave, and on the viewer's right, three circles, from which a stylized flower and a wavy-edged leaf extend towards the edge of the well. The outlines of the figure, waves, and plant motif are edged by cream 'jewels'. The rim is decorated with a trellis in both shades of brown slip, broken at the bottom, by a panel slip trailed with the name, 'RALPH: TOFT'.
History note: George Stoner, London, from whom bought for £80 on 22 May1911 by Dr J.W.L. Glaisher, FRS, Trinity College, Cambridge
Dr J. W. L. Glaisher Bequest
Diameter: 45.5 cm
Height: 7.1 cm
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1928-12-07) by Glaisher, J. W. L., Dr
17th Century, Late
Circa
1670
-
1690
Front Decoration
composed of
slip
( brown, dark brown and cream)
Surface
composed of
lead-glaze
( yellowish)
Decoration
Front
buff Earthenware
Throwing : Buff earthenware, thrown, the front coated with cream slip, slip-trailed in brown and dark brown, 'jewelled' in cream slip, and coated with yellowish lead-glaze; the reverse is undecorated. A suspension hole has been bored through the rim near the top edge.
Inscription present: slip trailed within a rectangular outline
Inscription present: rectangular white paper stick-on label with two upper corners cut, and a dark blue line round the sides and top edge.
Accession number: C.211-1928
Primary reference Number: 73119
Old object number: 3458
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:
Mirador deep zoom
IIIF Manifest
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "A Mermaid holding a Mirror and Comb" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/73119 Accessed: 2025-03-26 09:37:38
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/73119
|title=A Mermaid holding a Mirror and Comb
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-03-26 09:37:38|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:
https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-73119
To use this as a simple code embed, copy this string:
<div class="text-center">
<figure class="figure">
<img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/aa/aa35/large_C_211_1928_201607_adn21_dc2.jpg"
alt="A Mermaid holding a Mirror and Comb"
class="img-fluid" />
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">A Mermaid holding a Mirror and Comb</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...
