Antique Furnival Commemorative Plate depicting 'Angel" by Gerhard Heilmann 1906 Ref.P15
"Juleplatte 1906 efter Tegning af Gerhard Heilmann" reads the inscription on the reverse of this superb 'Angel' plate, which, translated to English reads "Christmas plate 1906, after Drawing of Gerhard Heilmann". An interesting plate, as it was made by Furnivals of England, and not by any Danish company.
But. first, who was Gerhard Heilmann? Well, he was a Danish artist and paleontologist, who created artistic depictions of Archaeopteryx, Proavis and other early bird relatives apart from writing "The Origin of Birds", a pioneering and influential account of bird evolution. Heilmann (born 1859 died 1946)lacked a formal training in science although he studied medicine briefly before shifting to art. His ideas on bird evolution were first written in Danish in the Dansk Ornitologisk Tidsskrift. Heilmann received little help and often got considerable opposition from Danish professional zoologists of the time and he in turn often made dismissive remarks on the ideas of some of the established scientists of the time. The English edition, however, reached out to a much larger audience and influenced ideas in bird evolution for nearly half a century.
Heilmann was considered a quarrelsome personality. He was brought up in a conservative religious family. In later life he rebelled against religion and in 1940 he wrote a book on Darwinism and devoted the last section to arguing against religious ideas. This included a large section pointing out how 'angels' could not have wings since they did not have the right chest musculature. Except for this part of the book, it was overall well received.
The plate, however, does show a drawing of an "Angel" by Gerhard, which makes one wonder whether this was his way of making a mockery in the belief in Angels? Not only was Heilmann noted for his Bird and Dinosaur drawings, he was well known for his landscapes. he even designed the bank notes for Denmark.
Furnivals was established in 1851, under the name, T. Furnival & Sons. For the home trade, they produced 'patent ironstone' dinner and other services in various styles of decoration. Among their specialities were dinner services, etc., of Italian design, in plain, white ware, the ornamentation on which was indented from an embossed mould, the lines being as fine and delicate as if cut in by the graver so as to have the appearance of chasing; and the lines being filled with glaze, the surface was still even. Another noticeable feature was the clever combination of transfer-printing, hand-painting, enamelling, and gilding, which characterise some of the services.
The plate offered above has a diameter of 20.5 cm and stands 3 cm high. Three stilt marks are evident and the plate remains in very good condition, with no cracks, chips or major signs of wear although the glaze is crazed.
Please note, I am NOT a qualified archaeologist/antiquarian and the description I have given is based on research of the subject.
This is a genuine antique. The classification of an 'antique' is that it should be 100 years old, OR MORE. There are many articles being offered as 'antiques' when, clearly, they are not.
Price R450.00
Post R55.00
Terms: We offer a strict three-day approval period from the date the parcel reaches you. Refunds/credits are based on the cost of the article, NOT including delivery charges. Please advise us within this period whether you would like to return any article for a refund/credit. Although we pride ourselves in our packing, the buyer remains responsible for loss, non-arrival or damage to goods being sent to, or returned.
