Descriptif du lot
This design was chosen by Minton to represent their majolica at several important exhibitions in the late 19th century, including South Kensington (1871), Vienna (1873), Philadelphia (1876) and at the Imperial Institute in London in 1894. There are very few known extant examples, and it is therefore likely that this piece was displayed in one of these exhibitions. For a line drawing of the model in The Masterpieces of the Centennial International Exhibition, see Professor W. Smith, 1876, p. 182. Also see the drawing cited in N. Dawes, Majolica, New York, 1990, p. 86, fig. 147; and the example illustrated by J. Jones, Minton: The First Two Hundred Years of Design & Production, Shrewsbury, 1993, p. 155. For a smaller version of the model, see Christie's, London, 30 May 2002, lot 47 and 13 May 2008, lot 306.