Nut Tray, shape number 1522

Minton introduced this model in 1869, making it one of the earliest of a group of representations of animals to be produced by the firm in majolica, the highly colorful, lead-glazed earthenware popular in the second half of the 19th century. From the end of the 1860s until the mid-1880s English majolica manufacturers enjoyed success in producing and selling animal models, and Minton was one of the first to produce such models. Here we see an Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) nibbling on a hazelnut and sitting at the edge of a dish formed as leaves and other parts of the common hazel plant (Corylus avellana). This provides a clever nod to the intended use of this piece, to serve nuts.

The firm also chose to copyright this creative design by registering the model on July 23, 1869 with the British Designs Registry. This government entity was created by the United Kingdom’s 1839 Designs Registration Act, which protected manufacturers from unauthorized copying of “ornamental” designs that were registered. As part of submitting a design for registration, a manufacturer had to include a “representation” of the design, often a drawing or, as time went on, a photograph. These representations are now preserved at the UK’s National Archives and provide an invaluable source of information about Victorian design.

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Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.

Strawser Auction Group, Wolcottville, Indiana, 14 April 2012, lot 752A; purchased by Deborah and Philip English, Baltimore, 2012; given to the Walters Art Museum, 2024.