Parian Ware 'Una & The Lion' c.1860 after John Bell

Length:28cm (11"inches)

After the Minton made for Summerly's Art Manufacturers and exhibited by Minton at the Great Exhibition 1851.

The sculptor John Bell's marble original was displayed at the Great Exhibition 1851.

The inspiration for this statue was from Edmund Spencer's poem  'The Fairie Queen'. Una, who personifies True Religion, following her separation from the Red Cross Knight is given protection by a lion, who represents England. "The Lion would not leave her desolate, but with her went along, as a strong gard of her caste person".

For information of the sculptor John Bell see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bell_(sculptor)

For further reading on Parian Ware see 'The Parian Phenomenon, A survey of Victorian Parian Porcelain Statuary & Busts' ISBN0 903685 22 1