18 Jul 2021
BLUSHING BRIDE: The Helleu plaque
In the latest of her occasional columns, Dorothy Blundell takes a sideways look at some of the unique items on show at The Bowes Museum, where she is a volunteer.
IN a Bowes Museum guide book dated 1996, there is a picture of a small porcelain bust of a rather forlorn looking woman. It is titled The Bride. Made by Worcester, the enamelled colours are meant to make it look more lifelike, but instead they seem to add to the feeling of sadness from her expression beneath her spotted net veil.
And yet, the bridal veil which dates back to Greek and Roman times was supposed to hide a bride “from evil spirits who might want to thwart her happiness”.