A really unusual antique Staffordshire pottery figure popped on the site of Bob Moores at Nestegg Antiques in the last few days, and it is one I cannot recall ever seeing in a dealer's stock. The lady in question is Lucretia,
The enamel colors are typical of the pre-1800 period, so this figure is earlier than most.
Who was Lucretia? According to Ovid’s Fasti and Livy’s History of Rome, in 509 B.C.E., the son of the king of Rome raped Lucretia, and she committed suicide out of shame. “The Rape of Lucrece,” a poem by Shakespeare, and Baroque art revived the tale. In earthenware figures, Lucretia’s face is concealed to indicate her shame.
The figure’s design source is not known, but if you have any doubt that she is indeed Lucretia, cast your eyes on the titled version below, marked Wedgwood and thus also made in the late eighteenth century.
Who was Lucretia? According to Ovid’s Fasti and Livy’s History of Rome, in 509 B.C.E., the son of the king of Rome raped Lucretia, and she committed suicide out of shame. “The Rape of Lucrece,” a poem by Shakespeare, and Baroque art revived the tale. In earthenware figures, Lucretia’s face is concealed to indicate her shame.
The figure’s design source is not known, but if you have any doubt that she is indeed Lucretia, cast your eyes on the titled version below, marked Wedgwood and thus also made in the late eighteenth century.
Courtesy Skinner, Inc., Boston.
The Victoria and Albert Museum holds not one but two figures of Lucretia. The example below again uses a typical late-eighteenth century color palette.
The V&A's other example uses harsher colors, and the green looks like it may have had chromium added to it, which would date it to post 1805, but I wouldn't like to bet on it having been made very much later than that.
If you want to own Lucretia, it doesn't matter which of the examples above you like best because only one is for sale. I have been researching several classical figures lately, and I am struck by how difficult it is to find good examples that have come to market in recent years. On the other hand, museums are well stocked...sometimes too well stocked!
