Minton Peacock

This magnificent peacock, seated on a rock, was made as one of a series of large-scale animals and birds modelled by Paul Comolera (1818-1897) at the Minton Factory in Stoke-on-Trent in the 1870s.

The peacock is made from majolica, developed by Leon Arnoux (1816-1902) from 1849, and was inspired by Italian Renaissance ceramics of the 15th and 16th centuries, which were usually spelt maiolica. At Minton, Arnoux used a fine buff earthenware decorated with a range of transparent glazes coloured with metal oxides that could be painted directly onto the unfired body. Minton majolica was officially introduced at the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace in 1851 and, being both bold and colourful, appealed to the Victorians, who were particularly enthusiastic about objects inspired by nature and animals. Majolica lent itself easily to the fabulous and colourful ceramics produced by Minton in the 19th century.

 Minton peacocks gained fame in 1878 when a ship, the Loch Ard, carrying an example of the model to the Sydney Exhibition of 1879 and the Melbourne Exhibition of 1880, was wrecked near Port Campbell at the entry to the Bass Strait off the Australian coast. Loch Ard is rated as Australia's most famous (among many) shipwreck. Some days later, a crate was opened and was found to contain the peacock, still intact. For years it was kept by the Miller family; descendants of the company who were involved in the salvage of the wreck. It is now on display in the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum, Warrnambool, Australia.

Only twelve peacocks were produced and this particular one was bought by the Shuttleworth family and placed in the magnificent Grotto & Fernery structure in the Swiss Garden during the 1870s. This model demonstrates Victorian style, ingenuity and great technical achievement. It is one of very few Minton peacocks still known to exist. During the 1970s, the peacock was removed from the then derelict Grotto & Fernery and stored in Shuttleworth House until its return to the Swiss Garden exhibition space in 2015. There are only three Minton Peacocks currently on display in the UK.

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