An 'Orpheus and the Muses' dish, circa 1880

Details

WILLIAM DE MORGAN (1839-1917) AND EDWARD BURNE-JONES (1833-1898)
An 'Orpheus and the Muses' dish, circa 1880
glazed and ruby lustre-decorated ceramic
Painted in ruby lustre with a frieze of the nine Muses in procession reserved at the broad border and delineated in pink, the central well similarly reserved with Orpheus playing his lyre, the underside painted with bands of stylized leaves, tendrils and curlicues
Impressed Davis factory mark
12 in. (30.5 cm.) diameter

Provenance

Anonymous sale; Christie's, South Kensington, 28 July 1995, lot 69.
Acquired by Ann and Gordon Getty from the above.

Special Notice

Please note this lot will be moved to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services (CFASS in Red Hook, Brooklyn) at 5pm on the last day of the sale. Lots may not be collected during the day of their move to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services. Please consult the Lot Collection Notice for collection information. This sheet is available from the Bidder Registration staff, Purchaser Payments or the Packing Desk and will be sent with your invoice.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Elizabeth Seigel Vice President, Specialist, Head of Private and Iconic Collections

eseigel@christies.com +1 212 484 4812

Lot Essay

For another dish with the same subject and composition, also a collaboration between De Morgan and Burne-Jones, see the Victoria and Albert Museum, accession no. CIRC.363-1961. An example akin to the V&A's, as well as a design drawing for the motif executed on tracing paper, are included in M. Greenwood and R. Dennis, The Designs of William de Morgan, Ilminster, 1989, pp. 217 and 197, pl. 107 and fig. 36.

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