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Open Content Program

The Birmingham Museum of art makes available digital images of works in the Museum’s collection believed to be in the public domain. Images are available free of charge for any use, commercial or non-commercial. Users do not need to contact the Museum for authorization to use these images. They are available through the Online Collection at artsbma.org/collection. See detailed instructions for specific work types below.

Identifying Open Content Images

The mission of the Birmingham Museum of Art is to spark the creativity, imagination, and liveliness of Birmingham by connecting all its citizens to the experience, meaning, and joy of art. The Museum understands that by sharing images of works online without restrictions, the BMA collection becomes more accessible to a larger audience.

For objects with images the rights status is displayed in the “credit line” section of the object information. The rights status or rights holder will be indicated. If the work is in the public domain and/or the image may be downloaded, the download icon will appear in the bottom right corner of the image area. To search the collection click here.

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Open Content Program
Digital Media Department
The Birmingham Museum of Art
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Disclaimer

  • If an image is not available under Open Content it may be because the work is still under copyright, the work is not owned by the museum, or the work has not yet been photographed to BMA standards.
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Chocolate Pot

Probably Staffordshire, Painting in the manner of James Giles

1770/75

See More of the Collection

Small oval medallion of white jasper with black dip and white bas relief of Fame Inscribing an Urn to the Memory of Elisabeth, Archduchess of Austria (1767-1790) – a winged Fame kneels before a large urn on pedestal with trumpet in left hand and stylus in right, he inscribes the urn while a standing classically-dressed figure behind him drapes it, the Austrian eagle lies at the base of the pedestal, the scene delicately shaded with black jasper slip, set in a silver mount adorned with marcasite, the elaborate finial comprised of flowers and leafy elements set with marcasite, with eye for a chain.
Covered urn of white stoneware, urn-shaped and footed, resting on a small white square plinth, the body of the urn covered with a rich agate, or crystalline, glaze in imitation of stone in shades of brown, tan and gray, the two gilded handles in the form of ram's heads, whose horns curve up and around and attach to the shoulder, the neck with a small band of beading in the middle, with a small cover with ball finial (not original).
Oval dark blue jasper cameo with white relief of a Zepyhr with polished edges
Delicate porcelain lithophane in cast-iron holder, the lithophane depicts the scene "Brautwerbung" (Courting the Bride), model number 229 in the Plaue Porcelain Manufactory's Preis-Courant, and shows on the left a young woman seated under a tree chatting with a young man in knickers, who casually leans on a barrel with his legs crossed at the ankles; the lithophane holder with a square base decorated with scrolling foliage and with a smaller square pedestal upon which rests the foot of the lithophane comprised of leafy foliage, the stem of the lithophane in the form of a column that is enveloped by stylized acanthus fronds, the frame above, which can be removed from the stem, is rectangular and rests on two scrolling, leafy vines which emanate from the stem, with pierced leafy motifs on either side and the top with pierced, scrolling decoration and a shell-like finial.