61 Cash Cow? An unusual object of veneration I
f I asked you whether you thought the cow worthy of artistic reverence what would your response be? You might feel the bovine to be matronly, comical, a
tasty meal or just a short step away from a pair of brogues? However, I feel sure you would find it difficult to conjure up an image of the rural idyll without cows. The cow had long been prized for its ability to produce milk and so, it is unsurprising that in the late mid-1700s it starts to be reflected in art objects, the most prolific being the pottery cow creamer (below). A step up from a functional jug when upended it dispensed cream from the mouth. On reflection, that might sound a little distasteful but there are examples, such as the silver creamers made by John Schuppe in 1762, which had a fly modelled on the cover and udders and, if you lift the upper fly, the companion below moves to one side to allow the udder to drip! During the latter part of the
century, farmers bred the cow for shape, size and weight. Again, potters were quickest to respond to this trend as evidenced by a group (left) depicting a farmer standing by his prize cow, obviously constructed with moulds that the potter already had as the hound at the farmer’s foot is actually a small lion.
Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood Okehampton Street, Exeter. EX4 1DU Tel: 01392 413100
www.bhandl.co.uk
Once a farmer is prepared
to part with cash for a portrait, the cow in question must have been appreciated. The illustrated painting (right) gives no indication of whom the celebrated bovine was, but it certainly is the centre of attention. Perhaps the most iconic cow was the Durham Ox. Bred
by the Darlington farmer Charles Colling, to some it was considered a freak and nothing more than an interbred castrated Shorthorn, but to others it was ‘irresistibly attractive to the eye and became an object of public curiosity’. The one and three-quarter ton beast was purchased on 14th May 1801 for the equivalent of £250, over the next few months a bids close to £2,000 were offered. The cow toured the country in a specially made cart for the next six years until the animal fell and dislocated its hip. However, the show rumbled on for two further months before being slaughtered. Several portraits were painted of the venerable beast from which several prints and some less affordable meat plates were produced of this tragic cash cow.
ANTIQUES & JEWELLERY VALUATION DAY
KINGSBRIDGE Tuesday 17th May
Harbour House,The Promenade 10.00am - 12.00 noon
St. Edmund’s Court, Okehampton Street, Exeter. EX4 1DU T: 01392 413100 W:
www.bhandl.co.uk
E:
enquiries@bhandl.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116
