Anyone can make a mistake, and a mistake was made around 1790 when this figure was produced.
Jupiter, to be auctioned at Bonhams London.
This figure is easily recognizable as the classical god Jupiter. It looks to be a Ralph Wood figure, but the black marbled base is out of place. We think Ralph Wood never used black marbled bases. But looking closely reveals a solid line painted under the marbling, and the line goes around three sides of the base only. This three-sided line is a strong Ralph Wood pointer. And looking even more closely reveals Hercules painted under the marbling in a typical Ralph Wood script. But this figure is not Hercules. Rather it is Jupiter!
Now all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place: Ralph Wood made this figure....but with the wrong title. Oops! When it emerged from the kiln, someone realized that Jupiter had been given the wrong name. What was to be done? It was impossible to erase and replace....but how about concealing? A little black enameling covered the mistake, as well as the rest of the base. How nice that it was marbled rather than solid, for today we can see exactly what happened. BTW, this figure is titled Jupiter beneath, just to give this god his due!
Now all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place: Ralph Wood made this figure....but with the wrong title. Oops! When it emerged from the kiln, someone realized that Jupiter had been given the wrong name. What was to be done? It was impossible to erase and replace....but how about concealing? A little black enameling covered the mistake, as well as the rest of the base. How nice that it was marbled rather than solid, for today we can see exactly what happened. BTW, this figure is titled Jupiter beneath, just to give this god his due!
Jupiter, in the collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge UK. This figure is also attributable to Ralph Wood and is titled in another of the familiar Wood scripts.
The mis-titled Jupiter is coming up at auction at Bonhams next month. When I mentioned it to Andrew Dando, he recalled having one just like this in stock many years ago. He added that Aurea Carter had an identical Jupiter (also with Hercules covered with black marbling) in stock at the same time. Aurea confirms this was indeed the case. So we know that at least two of these figures were made---and to the best of my knowledge they are the only two Ralph Wood figures on black marbled bases.
I have had lots of emails in past weeks about items coming up at various auctions. Please be careful. Most often, auction houses do not supply complete condition reports--Bonhams, London, where Jupiter is to be sold, is most thorough. When the hammer goes down the sale is final. Please only bid at auction if you have the experience to assess price. Don't forget to factor in buyer's premium and shipping costs. Figure it all out, set yourself a limit--and stop your bidding right there. When I 'win' at auction, I temper my jubiliation with a sobering reminder: the winner is sometimes the biggest fool. Today's auctions are so well publicized internationally. It's not the greatest feeling to know that you have paid more than any other collector or dealer was prepared to pay....but if you get something you have coveted for ages, something you probably will not get another shot at, it was worth it. Anything else? Think again!
I have had lots of emails in past weeks about items coming up at various auctions. Please be careful. Most often, auction houses do not supply complete condition reports--Bonhams, London, where Jupiter is to be sold, is most thorough. When the hammer goes down the sale is final. Please only bid at auction if you have the experience to assess price. Don't forget to factor in buyer's premium and shipping costs. Figure it all out, set yourself a limit--and stop your bidding right there. When I 'win' at auction, I temper my jubiliation with a sobering reminder: the winner is sometimes the biggest fool. Today's auctions are so well publicized internationally. It's not the greatest feeling to know that you have paid more than any other collector or dealer was prepared to pay....but if you get something you have coveted for ages, something you probably will not get another shot at, it was worth it. Anything else? Think again!
