Description
This pearlware pottery figure of the Greek orator Demosthenes (384-322BC) is dramatically molded on an imposing scale. His expressive features and outstretched arm demand attention from his audience. It is recorded that he had a stutter and practiced his renditions with pebbles in his mouth as he addressed the roaring sea to enhance his volume and resonance.
A quill and papers are placed on a classically formed plinth and painted with a marble effect. The relief panel shows Mercury and another depiction of Demosthenes standing on a cliff overlooking ships on the ocean, practicing his craft. The figure was produced by the Enoch Wood Pottery Staffordshire circa 1800
The figure is also known as St Paul Preaching at Athens or Eloquence.