219 - JOHN BELL FOR JOHN MARRIOT BLASHFIELD- A RARE AND LARGE TERRACOTTA STATUE OF THE FIGURE OF ERIN19TH CENTURYLifesize figure with shamrock diadem, leaning on ivy covered tree stump which supports her harp, portrait of the Irish poet Thomas Moore hanging from the stump, impressed stamp Blashfield's Patent Pottery, and various incised numeralsapproximately 182cm high, base 62 by 41cm‘The lily lies sleeping through winter’s cold hour,Till Spring’s light touch her fetters unbind,Erin, Oh Erin Thomas Moore (1779-1852)Literature;J M Blashfield, Vases, statues, busts etc from terra-cotta, published 1857 John Weale, No. 179.J.M.Blashfield had engaged John Bell as a sculptor after seeing his work exhibitedat The Great Exhibition in 1851. In celebration of the site of the “The Great Industrial Exhibition” dueto be staged in Dublin in 1853, Blashfield together with Bell designed this figure of “Erin”. With herharp and shamrock head-dress, and in tribute to the great Irish lyricist andpoet Thomas Moore who had died in 1852, she was to certain to appeal to Irishtastes. Unfortunately though, the figurewas not ready in time for the Dublin exhibition and was not shipped. Thisfigure is a rare model – only three are known to have survived. The reliefportrait profile of Thomas Moore incorporated in the Erin sculpture shows astrong likeness to contemporary images of the poet. “Erin, Oh Erin” is one ofhis more famous works; it expresses hope for the future of Ireland and a newflowering after dormancy as represented by the lily.