Trophy Plate - Pegasus

Trophy Plates in many ways represented the height of jasper decoration. With around 2,000 individual items applied to an object less than 9" in diameter, it was a diffcult job and one which only the very best decorators were allowed to do. During the late 1800s, the only decorator good enough was Thomas Lovatt, and his mark appears on this example as expected.

The central decoration show Bellerophon watering Pegasus. Chiron instructed Bellerophon in how to tame Pegasus, the winged horse born from the blood of the Gorgon Medusa when she was slain by the hero Perseus. Pegasus was said to be wild and untamable, but Bellerophon managed to capture and ride him with the help of a golden bridle provided by the goddess Athena.