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Death of Admiral Lord Nelson - Victory sacrificing to Peace
Death of Admiral Lord Nelson - Victory sacrificing to Peace

Death of Admiral Lord Nelson - Victory sacrificing to Peace

Manufacturer
Date1805
Object number00018988
NamePlaque
MediumCeramic, glazed
DimensionsOverall: 158 x 96 x 11 mm, 0.1 kg
ClassificationsCommemorative artefacts
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionProduced by Leeds Pottery this plaque is cast in black basalt as an indication of mourning for the loss of Admiral Lord Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805. It features an allegorical depiction of Victory sacrificing to Peace, enclosed by moulded cornucopia, oak leaves, acorns and mourning ribbons. A small circular medallion is above the main subject with the flagship VICTORY enclosed within a laurel wreath.HistoryAdmiral Lord Nelson is considered the greatest naval hero in British history and his death at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 plunged the country into mourning. His body was taken to Greenwich on 5 January 1806 where it lay in state in the Painted Hall at Greenwich Hospital for three days, where tens of thousands of people from all walks of life filed past the remains of their beloved naval hero. On the 8th his remains were placed in the Royal barge originally made for King Charles II and taken up river, accompanied by Lord Hood, Sir Peter Parker and the Prince of Wales. Disembarking at Whitehall they proceeded to the Admiralty, where the body of Lord Nelson, attended by his chaplain Alexander Scott, who had been with Nelson when he died, remained overnight. The next day, 9 January, a funeral procession of 32 admirals, over a hundred captains, and an escort of 10,000 troops took the coffin from the Admiralty to St Paul's Cathedral. Commemorative and mourning ware was soon in full production and there was a ready and willing market who wished to have something in their house to remember the actions of their great naval hero.SignificanceThis plaque recognises the importance of Nelson to the British public; commemorative pieces such as these offered everyone an opportunity to participate in the mourning of a great naval hero.