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Cupid playing an Oboe or End-flute: C.98-1950

Object information

Current Location: Gallery 26 (Lower Marlay)

Titles

Cupid playing an Oboe or End-flute

Maker(s)

Factory: Derby Porcelain Factory

Entities

Categories

Description

Soft-paste porcelain figure of a bewigged Cupid playing an oboe orr end flute painted in enamels, and gilt

Soft-paste porcelain figure of a Cupid, slip-cast and painted over lead-glaze in turquoise, green, flesh pink, and a little red and pale brown enamels, and gilt. The underside is unglazed and has a large roughly circular ventilation hole surrounded by indeterminate marks, probably patch marks. The approximately oval low mound base is edged by turquoise rocaille frilling, and scrolls picked out in gold and and has a green tree stump at the back with six applied leaves on the viewer’s right. The Cupid steps forward on his left leg and has his right behind next to the stump which supports him. He has pale brown eyes and eybrows and red lips, and white wings, and wears a long curling wig, sleeves with ruffles (but no bodice), and an apron, all white, He holds in both hands an pale brown oboe or end flute with a gilded reed and lower end.

Notes

History note: Unknown before Mrs W.D. (Frances Louisa) Dickson., Bournemouth

Legal notes

Given by Mrs W.D. Dickson

Measurements and weight

Depth: 5.5 cm
Height: 11 cm
Width: 5 cm

Place(s) associated

  • Derby ⪼ Derbyshire ⪼ England

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1950-09) by Dickson, W. D. (Frances Louisa), Mrs

Dating

18th Century, Late
George III
Circa 1775 - 1780

Note

This model is one of a series of seventeen small figures of ‘Cupid in Disguise’, numbers 262 to 278 but not differentiated by Haslem in 1876 in his 'Price List of Groups and Figures' made at Derby. The models originated at Meissen during the 1750s and were being copied by Chelsea by 1755 and 1756 when they are mentioned in the sale catalogues of those years: 'Six beautiful small figures, LOVE IN DISGUISE, for desart' (1755, day 1, lot 43) and 'Six beautiful Cupids, love in disguise for desart (day 1, lot 50, 1756). Further models were added during the Gold Anchor period and during the Chelsea-Derby period from 1770, they were reproduced at Derby.

School or Style

Rococo

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Decoration composed of enamel ( turquoise, green, flesh pink, red, pale brown) gold

Materials used in production

except base Lead-glaze
Soft-paste porcelain

Techniques used in production

Slip casting : Soft-paste porcelain , slip-cast and painted over lead-glaze in turquoise, green, flesh pink, and a little red and pale brown enamels, and gilt. The underside is unglazed and has a large roughly circular ventilation hole surrounded by indeterminate marks, probably patch marks.
Lead-glazing

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.98-1950
Primary reference Number: 133241
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Wednesday 15 July 2020 Last processed: Wednesday 13 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Cupid playing an Oboe or End-flute" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/133241 Accessed: 2024-03-28 11:36:46

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/133241 |title=Cupid playing an Oboe or End-flute |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-03-28 11:36:46|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

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https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-133241

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