Robert Wallace Martin (1843-1923) British a matched pair of terracotta arched panels, one depicting 'cupid', after the one shown in the 1867 Royal Academy Exhibition, the catalogue entry reading 'Cupid- He was so wimble and so wight, from bough to bough he lepped light' (after Spenser); the other depicting a nude maiden in a naturalistic setting, signed 'R.W. Martin', dated '1868'; potentially a version of another untitled terracotta plaque Martin exhibited at the 1868 Royal Academy Exhibition, with the verse 'Pensive and silent on the mossy bank she stood / Like a fair spirit in the Sparkling flood'. He went on to exhibit another plaque at the 1872  RA event, entitled 'The Pastoral Reed', (which may have been the intended title for the piece in this lot), a similar example of which, titled 'The Girl at the Spring' was exhibited in 1869. Each plaque measures 66 cm high x 33 cm wide, a/f. (2) Literature: 'The Martin Brothers Potters' by Malcolm Haslam, published 1978 by Richard Dennis; page 22 (text & figure 19) and page 31. Provenance: Part of a single owner collection originally acquired directly from the Martin Brothers Pottery, by Samuel L. M. Avery Esq., a master builder and resident of Southall. Avery was a friend and acquaintance of the Martin family, often visiting the pottery where he bought pieces directly from them for his own collection. The collection was inherited by his descendants and has remained in the family ever since, only being recently discovered following the passing of his daughter.