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Pigeon: C.839-1928

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Object information

Awaiting location update

Titles

Pigeon

Maker(s)

Production: Unidentified Staffordshire factory (Probably)

Entities

Categories

Description

Cream earthenware streaked with brown and green under lead-glaze

Cream earthenware, moulded (probably slip cast), with incised indications of feathers, streaked with manganese-brown and green oxide colours under lead-glaze. The underside is closed and has a large circular ventilation hole in the centre. The bird is standing with its feet on either side of a conical rocky mound. It faces to the front and holds a large blackberry in its beak.

Notes

History note: Mr F. L. Furphey, Oakwood, Priory Road, Sale, in a letter offered to sell the bird on 1 January 1918 for £40. It was sent on approval to Cambridge, where bought for that amount on 27 January 1918 by Dr J.W.L. Glaisher, FRS, Trinity College, Cambridge.

Legal notes

Dr J. W. L. Glaisher Bequest

Measurements and weight

Height: 22 cm
Length: 14.2 cm

Acquisition and important dates

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

Dating

18th Century, third quarter#
George II or George III
Circa 1750 - 1770

Note

The popularity of bird models in pottery and porcelain from the mid 18th century was a reflection of increasing interest in the natural world and the publication of illustrated books on ornithology such as George Edward's A Natural History of Birds, published in four volumes between 1743, 1747, 1750 and 1751, which provided models for craftsmen to copy. Exotic birds could be could be studied in aviaries and menageries, such as the 2nd and 3rd Dukes of Richmond in England in Whitehall and the Duke of Montague’s at Blackheath, and talking birds, such as parrots, were popular pets for less wealthy people. Many were brought back alive or stuffed by officers and crew members of ships returning from non-European parts of the world. Modellers of ceramic figures were also influenced by imported Chinese porcelain figures of parrots and other birds. The beak of this bird seems broader than a pigeon's, and it may have been iintended to be a parrot.

Components of the work

Decoration composed of oxide colours ( manganese-brown and copper ?-green)
Surface composed of lead-glaze
Base Depth 9.2 cm Width 8.5 cm

Materials used in production

cream Earthenware

Techniques used in production

Moulding : Cream earthenware, moulded (possibly slip cast) with incised details, and applied blackberry, streaked and dabbed with manganese-brown and copper-green oxide colours under lead-glaze

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: illegible
  • Location: On underside
  • Method of creation: Probably hand-written in ink
  • Type: Label

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.839-1928
Primary reference Number: 76207
Old object number: 4657
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Tuesday 18 July 2023 Last processed: Friday 8 December 2023

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) "Pigeon" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/76207 Accessed: 2024-11-06 21:15:48

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/76207 |title=Pigeon |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-06 21:15:48|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-76207

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        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Pigeon</figcaption>
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