A MINTON MAJOLICA MONKEY AND CUSHION GARDEN SEAT

It is interesting to note that the introduction of this model in the late 1850's coincides with the publication of Charles Darwin's On The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. This treatise was widely discussed including in the potteries, as Darwin was the son of Susannah Wedgwood and married to his cousin, Emma, Josiah Wedgwood II's daughter. It is likely that this model was inspired by the hotly debated subject of the day. See J. Jones, Minton, 1993, p. 148 for an illustration of the model.