Reproduction of a Scythian plaque in the form of a reclining stag

Electrotyping is a chemical process used historically to make high quality reproductions of works of art. During the Victorian era, one of the main producers was Elkington & Co. of Birmingham. They were licensed by the South Kensington Museum of London (now the Victoria & Albert Museum) to produce replicas of objects from royal treasuries and museums across Europe. The electrotypes approved by the Department of Science and Art, a British governmental agency, carry Messrs. Elkington’s mark in the form of an official stamp in metal.

This modern electrotype is a copy of a gold plaque in the Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg. The original was found in 1830 in the Kul-Oba Kurgan, near Kerch in Crimea. This object, described as a shield plaque or a bow-case ornament, is an expression of the Scythian “animal style.” Six animals are represented on the body of the deer-shaped plaque: a winged griffin on the rump, a hare and a feline on the flank, a hound under the neckline, a raptor for the tail, and a ram protome forming the rear tine of the antler. Three Greek letters are inscribed on the neck of the deer that could correspond to the name of the Greek city Panticapaeum, on the Eastern shore of Crimea, whose ruins are located in modern day Kerch.

In the nineteenth century, many museums collected copies of ancient and historical works of art with the aim of presenting outstanding works to a broader public and to serve as inspiration for artists and manufacturers. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, founded in 1870, began to acquire electrotypes in its first decade. In 1883, Henry Marquand, a collector and early patron of the Museum, funded a large purchase from Elkington & Co. of nearly three hundred pieces. Today, these works are part of many departments in the Museum and along with plaster casts reflect the history of collecting and the role of the museum as a locus for the teaching of art history.