• Reading Public Museum
    Open 11a-5p DailyAdmission
  • Neag Planetarium
    Show ScheduleAdmission
  • Arboretum
    Open everyday from sunrise to sunset
Collections Menu

Pelican in Her Piety

Pelican in Her Piety

Date: c. 1862
Medium: redware
Dimensions:
Overall: 5 x 6 in. (12.7 x 15.2 cm)
Credit Line:Museum Purchase
Object number: 1946.154.1
This figural group depicting a pelican plucking her breast to feed her young is a metaphor for Christ’s sacrificial blood being shed on the cross, as well as a symbol of piety. The biblical image was part of the iconographic Germanic tradition brought to America by Pennsylvania German immigrants and was extremely popular. The motif was frequently employed on other ceramic objects, as well as metal wares, and fraktur. Decorative redware figural groups are rare, requiring great skill on the part of the potter in his ability to control and manipulate clays and glazes. The significance of the inscription is unknown but suggests a commemorative presentation.
In Collection(s)