Painted plate with naked figures
- Audio guide stop: 492
- Gallery: Room 46
- Maker: Pickleherring Pottery
- Culture: Post-Medieval
- Made in: Southwark
- Date: 1659
- Object type: dish
- Materials: earthenware
- Museum number: 1855,1201.115
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
This painted plate is a striking piece from the Post-Medieval period, made in 1659 in Southwark by the Pickleherring Pottery. The center features a reclining female figure—known as La Fécondité, the personification of fertility—surrounded by five cherubs. The background shows a detailed view of buildings, and the floor is marked by a chequered pattern.
The rim is full of intricate details: four oval sections show the four Seasons, while four circular depressions feature initials, the emblem of the City of London, and the crest of the Pewterers' Company. Masks and floral swags are also moulded into the edge, suggesting this plate was made for display rather than use.
The design draws inspiration from a fresco by Rosso Fiorentino at Fontainebleau, reflecting artistic connections between France and England during the 1600s. The maker's initials—C and I E—appear at the top, possibly belonging to newlyweds John and Elizabeth Campion, a pewterer known to have worked in London at the time.
See it in person
Painted plate with naked figures is on display in Room 46 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and type its audio guide stop number, 492, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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