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Venus holding a dove: C.890-1928

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Object information

Current Location: In storage

Titles

Venus holding a dove

Maker(s)

Production: Unidentified Staffordshire factory

Entities

Categories

Description

Lead-glazed earthenware painted in polychrome enamels

White earthenware, press-moulded, covered with slightly blue-tinted lead-glaze, and painted in blue, yellowish-green, yellow, pale lilac, flesh pink, red, reddish-brown, brown, and black enamels. Venus stands on a low circular mound supported by an almost square straight-sided base, which is closed underneath and has canted inner sides and a central ventilation hole. She is barefooted and stands on her left foot with her right foot a little behind it and her right knee relaxed. Her head is turned slightly to her right, and she holds a dove on her right hand at chest level. Her left arm is by her side, and she holds up her tunic to reveal the lower part of her left leg. Her brown hair is swept up onto the top of her head behind a small frontlet studded with red, blue and dark lilac 'jewels', and two tresses hang down over her shoulders. She wears a long bluish-white tunic is scattered with groups of four dots and red floral sprays. It has yellow edgings round the right armhole, neckline, right sleeve and hemline, and round the waist has a lilac sash tied at centre front. The mound is coloured yellowish-green and brown, and there is a reddish-brown line running round the four sides of the base.

Notes

History note: A. G. Smith, 193 Wardour Street, London, from whom bought for £2.10s.0d. on 15 February 1905 by Dr J.W.L. Glaisher, FRS, Trinity College, Cambridge

Legal notes

Dr J. W. L. Glaisher Bequest

Measurements and weight

Height: 25.8 cm

Acquisition and important dates

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

Dating

19th Century, Early#
George III
Circa 1800 - 1820

Note

In Greek mythology doves were sacred to the goddess Aphrodite, and this association was passed on to the Roman goddess Venus, who is sometimes depicted in a chariot drawn by doves.

School or Style

Neoclassical

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Decoration composed of enamels ( blue, yellowish-green, yellow, pale lilac, flesh pink, red, reddish-brown, brown, and a very little black)
Surface composed of lead-glaze ( slightly tinted blue)
Base Depth 8.8 cm Width 8.9 cm

Materials used in production

white Earthenware

Techniques used in production

Press-moulding : White earthenware, press-moulded, covered with slightly blue tinted lead-glaze, and painted in blue, yellowish-green, yellow, pale lilac, flesh pink, red, reddish-brown, brown, and black enamels

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: 11
  • Location: On base
  • Method of creation: Impressed
  • Type: Number

Inscription present: rectangular white paper stick-on label with a narrow blue line edge on three sides with a plant motif in the two upper corners

  • Text: No 2340/Staffordshire/figure of a/woman with a/dove on her/hand b. in/London Feb 15/1905
  • Location: On base
  • Method of creation: Hand-written in faded black ink
  • Type: Label

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.890-1928
Primary reference Number: 76293
Old object number: 2340
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Tuesday 4 July 2023 Last processed: Wednesday 13 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) "Venus holding a dove" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/76293 Accessed: 2024-12-23 00:24:31

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/76293 |title=Venus holding a dove |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-12-23 00:24:31|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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