Late 19th Century Minton Majolica Game Pie Dish

Description

A majolica game pie dish made by Minton & Co. in 1874. The dish takes the form of a wicker … more A majolica game pie dish made by Minton & Co. in 1874. The dish takes the form of a wicker basket and is covered with oak leaves, acorns, vines, and ferns. The dish’s lid features a group of realistically molded dead game: a rabbit, a mallard, and a crow.

Although depictions of deathly imagery on a decorative object may today seem strange, majolica game pie dishes reflect Victorians’ complicated understanding of man’s place in nature, which was entangled with issues of science, morality, and mortality. The dish’s realistic, dead game asserts man’s triumph over nature, echoing Darwin's contemporary publication discussing evolution and natural order. The dead game also promotes the idea of form following function, which Victorians viewed as a morally correct design technique.

Dimensions: 10 1/2 in. L x 7 in. W x 5 1/2 in. H (26.7 cm L x 17.8 cm W x 14 cm H)

Condition: Excellent.

Literature:
Goodby, Miranda. “’The productions of this firm stand pre-eminent’: The Minton Factory and Majolica.” In Majolica Mania: Transatlantic Pottery in England and the United States, 1850–1915 vol. 2, ed. Susan Weber et al. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2020. Identical example illus. pg 22 Fig. 11.37.

References:
National Trust, Saltram House, NT 871064
Victoria & Albert Museum, C.80 to B-1971. less