A pair of English stoneware figures of Ceres and Diana with pedestals

BY JOHN MARRIOTT BLASHFIELD, LONDON, CIRCA 1855

細節

A pair of English stoneware figures of Ceres and Diana with pedestals
By John Marriott Blashfield, London, Circa 1855
Each wearing classical robes and standing on a rectangular base, Ceres holding a sheaf of corn in her left hand, Diana adjusting her robes, both stamped J.M. BLASHFIELD PADDINGTON, each on a pedestal of square section with rounded back, on a stepped foot, one stamped J.M. BLASHFIELD
Ceres: 39 in. (101 cm) high; Diana: 40 in. (103.5 cm.) high
The pedestals: 21 in. (54 cm.) high (2)

拍品專文

For the decoration of house and garden, the ancient gods and goddesses still have a very pertinent iconographical role to play: Ceres is one of the goddesses of hospitality, and Diana has a dual role, as goddess of hunting - and of chastity. Blashfield's catalogue, published in 1857, includes models that relate to these two statues: Ceres (No. 200) and Diana (No. 202). Both figures derive directly from the antique, Diana being essentially a copy of the classical sculpture of Diana Robing in the Louvre. The enduring appeal of classicism was perhaps encouraged by the influence of the Elgin marbles and a new generation of artists, such as Leighton, promoting a vigorous classical revival in the second half of the 19th century, giving new impetus to the fashion for the Antique.