Study for memorial or dedicatory mosaic - symbolic pelican design
(c. 1952)
- Medium
- gouache over pencil
- Measurements
- 41.6 × 17.7 cm irreg. (comp.) 52.2 × 34.3 cm irreg. (sheet)
- Accession Number
- P150-1990
- Department
- Australian Prints & Drawings
- Credit Line
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Gift of Klytie Pate, 1990
© Courtesy of the artist's estate
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of the Joe White Bequest - Gallery location
- Not on display
- About this work
-
This 1950s mosaic design depicts a pelican nourishing its young with its own blood. This motif references a medieval misconception about the behaviour of pelicans, who were thought to peck at their breast until it bled in order to feed their offspring. The pelican therefore became a symbol of Christ’s sacrifice for humanity and is still commonplace in Christian iconography, here presented in an Art Deco style that could be translated into mosaic tiles. This work was gifted to the National Gallery of Victoria by Klytie Pate, a gifted potter and the niece of Christian Waller.