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A Mermaid holding a Mirror and Comb: C.211-1928

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Current Location: Gallery 27 (Glaisher)

Titles

A Mermaid holding a Mirror and Comb

Maker(s)

Potter: Toft, Ralph

Entities

Categories

Description

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'.

Notes

History note: George Stoner, London, from whom bought for £80 on 22 May1911 by Dr J.W.L. Glaisher, FRS, Trinity College, Cambridge

Legal notes

Dr J. W. L. Glaisher Bequest

Measurements and weight

Diameter: 45.5 cm
Height: 7.1 cm

Acquisition and important dates

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

Dating

17th Century, Late
Circa 1670 - 1690

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Front Decoration composed of slip ( brown, dark brown and cream)
Surface composed of lead-glaze ( yellowish)
Decoration
Front

Materials used in production

buff Earthenware

Techniques used in production

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 or legends present

Inscription present: slip trailed within a rectangular outline

  • Text: RALPH:TOFT
  • Location: On lower part of rim
  • Method of creation: Slip trailed in dark brown
  • Type: Inscription

Inscription present: rectangular white paper stick-on label with two upper corners cut, and a dark blue line round the sides and top edge.

  • Text: No 3458/Large slip/ware dish/with mermaid/signed Ralph/Toft/b. London/May 22.1911
  • Location: Near middle of reverse
  • Method of creation: Hand-written in black ink
  • Type: Label

References and bibliographic entries

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.211-1928
Primary reference Number: 73119
Old object number: 3458

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Tuesday 29 October 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 (2025) "A Mermaid holding a Mirror and Comb" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/73119 Accessed: 2025-12-05 11:21:10

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{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=2025-12-05 11:21:10|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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