Where are the MISSING Million Pound Minton Majolica Peacocks? The Peacocks made by Minton & Co. of Stoke-upon-Trent was the grandest of all works made in earthenware majolica. Valued at over a million pound, 12 were made but several are missing. It was a "statement piece" designed as a conservatory ornament and would frequently figure at international exhibitions. Designed by Paul Comolera, a French sculptor turned modeller who worked for Mintons between 1873 and 1876. I have pictures of 5 including the magnificent peacock filmed with permission in the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. 2 more are in public museums in the UK - the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool and the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. 2 are known to be in Australia at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village in Warrnambool and the Powerhouse Collection in Sydney. The Flagstaff Hill peacock is very lucky still to be here, as it survived the shipwreck of the Loch Ard on its way to an exhibition in Sydney. It was washed up on the Australian coast almost undamaged in its crate a few days later. In 2010 Peter Abbott quoted online: “I manage Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village here in Warrnambool Australia. We hold the most famous shipwreck artefact - the Minton Loch Ard Peacock. You maybe interested to know we have just had this peacock revalued and insured for $4m Australian Dollars.” (= £2.1 million).
It was fired all in one piece, which makes it a major technical achievement as well as an artistic one, given that it is about five feet tall.
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13 май 2024
