She taught Perseus how to slay the Gorgons by going after Medusa he had to never look at her directly but only at her reflection in his shield. Minerva was born as a peace loving goddess who would use military might wisely only when needed. She is supposed to hold a spear in her right hand but the spear went missing in her left hand she holds her shield with Medusa's head on it. She is stood in a cuirass, thonged skirt and sandals and wears a crested helmet. This Minerva figure was made after a famous garden statue by John Cheere. He his holding the hilt of a sword over a flag, an oval shield by his feet. In this version Mars is represented as a centurion in a cloak and chain armour, a crested helmet, a thonged kilt and sandals. He was not popular among the other gods and usually appears either by himself, with Venus (whom he fathered Cupid with), or with Minerva, the other great military strategist. Mars was the god of War, son of Jupiter and Juno. Derby has made these figures since 1752 and this is their second version. The Mars figure is after a famous Meissen figure of 1746, made by J.J.Kändler. In 1769 Duysbury bought up the bankrupted Chelsea factory, incorporating their reputation for high quality figures and tableware this combination of traditions, porcelain making skills, sophisticated clients and available work people created one of the best porcelain factories of the 18th and 19th Centuries, which after many ups and downs is still operative today. Together they laid the foundations for what would become a very refined tradition of figure making at Derby. Local entrepreneur William Duysbury took an interest in his skills and worked with him to improve the quality of his wonderfully shaped items. The Derby Porcelain factory has its roots in the late 1740s, when André Planché, a Walloon Huguenot refugee, started making simple porcelain toys shaped like animals. This particular pair is very finely made and in fabulous condition. The pair is one of Derby's famous figure pairs. About This is a beautiful pair of Derby porcelain figures of Mars and Minerva, made between 17, which was the Rococo era.
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