Featured Neo classical style copper bas relief

Y'know, tooling up to make a press that could produce this piece (if it is pressed) would be pretty expensive/labour intensive - and - if it was done that way, surely more than one would be out there? Jes sayin'

 

Somewhere on the forum there is a discussion of a die stamped copper "The Last Supper" like this one........... https://offerup.com/item/detail/551108602/

Engraving the dies does take time,many are now computer aided machined to make the dies.

A 6 minute vid of die engraving....

 

Yes but look at the definition of the that last supper - let's be fair, that's pretty crappy in comparison ..I think my piece was made some time before computers came along ...

 

I am staying on the "cast" train.

Seems like there should still be more of them.

 

I think this was the "last supper" in question: https://www.antiquers.com/threads/bronze-high-relief-last-supper-signature-help.39107/#post-701854

 

That one looks cast, @Jivvy - again, doesn't have the same "handwork" feel to me.

 

you can talk easily about handfeel when you have it at home.

 

For sure. Pics are a different kettle of fish, I understand.

 

I still see cast.

I'm not sure what you mean by the "handwork" feel, but if it is cast, someone had to make the mold.

 

@Fid @Hollyblue - take a look at this close up - this is what I meant by "handwork" feel - looks like some tooling is done on the face, right?



In fact I'm leaning toward the fact that this may be a combination of repousse and chasing after all, and a one-of-a-kind art project.

 

I was going to reply that MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) doesn't know the first thing about neoclassical art & that it was surprising for them to have Wedgwood in their collections at all, but, upon checking, I see it really lives at the MMA (Metropolitan Museum of Art).

Here's theirs:


Plaque ca. 1785–90
Josiah Wedgwood and Sons

They have another plaque they have titled An Offering to Peace that is obviously misidentified:



It has more in common with this 'Plaque':



Of course, completely unable to find it at the moment, but think this is an allegory of something like Friendship Consoling Affliction.* The other looks along the lines of Experience/Maturity Consoling Innocence/Youth. As usual, the Wedgwood Museum's online collection is being no help at all, although this is their concept of Flora:



There's a lot of crossover in the iconography of Peace, Plenty, Prosperity & Fortune.

I have one contact in the Met's Department of European Sculpture & Decorative Arts, although this is not her area. They seem to have a new young curator whose field is ceramics; maybe she would pass along a message. Believe me, museums make mistakes too, especially when work was done pre-Internet & have not been revisited since.

 

yes, my mistake, as you can see, the illustration from the pdf does say MMoA not MoMA, no biggie

Yes that's it and I think we both agree that's the offering to peace, right?

I could post my 17th c Italian painting of Flora here but that would be pointless as almost all depictions of her are just well-off prostitutes of the day dressed up in her garb, flowers in the hair and fruit in hand.

 

I have no idea why the author of the Templetown article thought Flora was involved unless at the time of writing the Met had it identified that way. There is almost nothing in the scene to suggest Flora & author lists no such composition among his subject's works. Trevanion & Dean called it correctly as Peace.

 

I think that must be the case, especially as you say there are other erroneous titles in the MMA Wedgwood collection.

 

Yours is not compressed horizontally, just cropped at either end. It's this one that has been spread out & had another wreath added.

 

https://www.artic.edu/artworks/68162/friendship-consoling-affliction

Rabbit holes inside of rabbit holes:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/...aston,_Stoke-on-Trent,_England_-_DSC09614.jpg

The foot washing scene makes more sense for Friendship & Affliction; this is more about comforting some lovelorn soul.

 

The photo is too out of focus,but looks like the dots were added after the design was stamped.You did know that on any repossee piece that chasing is 80% or more of what you see?

 

Agreed! I would love to go to the Art Institute of Chicago one day ...maybe I'll wait till spring though?