A rare stoneware figure of Erin, the female personification of Ireland, the partially-draped figure playing a small harp and standing alongside a tree trunk encircled with roses and ivy, the trunk bearing a portrait medallion of the Irish poet known in his time as the Bard of Erin, Thomas Moore (1779-1852), the figure’s hair embellished with shamrocks, after a model by English sculptor, John Bell (1812-1895), produced by English manufacturer, John Marriott Blashfield (1811-1882), English, ca. 1860.

71.5 ins. high, 27 ins. wide, 24 ins. deep, integral base 27 ins. x 18 ins.

Erin, derived from Ériu (also Éire, Éireann, Éirenn, Éirinn) is the patron goddess of Ireland in Irish folklore and mythology. Her name is thought to mean “earth”, as well as “land of abundance”. John Bell’s sculptural interpretation of the subject pairs her with a harp, the symbol of Ireland’s enduring hope for sovereignty. Shamrocks, one of the most recognizable symbols of Ireland, are said to represent both the holy trinity and the tenets of faith, love, and hope. Botanical symbolism is further expressed through the use of ivy and roses on the tree trunk; the pointed ivy leaves representing loyalty and forward momentum, and the roses evoking eternal beauty and self-reliance. Given that a portrait medallion of Thomas Moore is tied to the tree, the roses may also be a reference to his 1813 poem, “The Last Rose of Summer”, one of the most celebrated of Moore’s Irish Melodies.

John Marriott Blashfield produced ornamental stoneware products from about 1848 until 1878, first from a manufactory in Millwall and later from Stamford in Lincolnshire. Blashfield, one of the two most admired English terra cotta/stoneware producers of the mid to late 19th century (along with Mark H. Blanchard), completed several important commissions including architectural terra cotta for the buildings of Dulwich College and the original Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (demolished 1906), and vases for Buckingham Palace, Hampton Court Palace, and Kew Palace. In 1854, Blashfield was awarded the contract to produce several statues– sculpted by John Bell– for the Crystal Palace when it was reconstructed at Sydenham. The relationship with John Bell (who by this point was highly regarded for “The Eagle Slayer” and other sculptures exhibited at the 1851 Crystal Palace Exhibition, along with the works produced in collaboration with the Coalbrookdale Company) was a lasting and fruitful one as it resulted not only in the 1854 Crystal Palace figures, but also in pieces for Blashfield’s own 1857 catalog, “Terra Cottas by J.M. Blashfield: A Selection of Vases, Statues, Busts, &c”. The figure of Erin appears therein as model # 179.