Skip to main content

The Muse Erato: C.3172-1928

Object information

Current Location: Gallery 26 (Lower Marlay)

Titles

The Muse Erato

Maker(s)

Factory: Meissen Porcelain Factory
Modeller: Kändler, Johann Joachim

Entities

Categories

Description

Hard-paste porcelian, painted in polychrome enamels

Hard-paste porcelain, press-moulded, glazed, and painted in two shades of green, yellow, flesh pink, dark pink, red, a little purple, brown, grey, and black enamels, and lightly gilt. The flat underside is unglazed and has a round ventilation hole in the middle. The circular low mound base rises up into a rock in the centre and at the back has a tall laurel tree with seven short branches bearing green leaves and black berries. The back of the rock is inscribed 'Erato'. The ground and rock are strewn with applied green leaes and yellow, red and white and purple and white flowers. The Erato sits on the rock with her left leg over her right. Her head is turned slightly to her left, and she holds a violin in her left hand and a bow in her right. On her left knee she balances a music book with a red binding. She has a wreath of leaves and yellow flowers over her grey hair, and wears a white, sleeved tunic, which reveals her right bosom, a yellow sash, and a green cloak with a grey floral pattern, lined with dark pink and edged by a gold line. A hurdy-gurdy lies on the base to her left and a few sheets of white parchment to her right.

Notes

History note: Purchased at a shop in Brighton in a road leading to Kemp Town on 23 September 1920 for £215.

Legal notes

Dr J.W.L. Glaisher Bequest, 1928

Measurements and weight

Height: 26 cm
Width: 18 cm

Place(s) associated

  • Meissen ⪼ Saxony ⪼ Germany

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1928) by Glaisher, J. W. L., Dr

Dating

18th Century, Mid
Production date: circa AD 1745

Note

The Taxa recording Kaendler's overtime work includes in November 1744, a model of Erato playing a violin seated beneath a laurel tree accompanied by Cupid for Friedrich II, King of Prussia.

School or Style

Rococo

Components of the work

Decoration composed of enamel ( two shades of green, yellow, flesh pink, pink, red, a little purple, brown, grey, and black) gold
Visible Surfaces composed of glaze
Base Diameter 14 cm
Details

Materials used in production

Hard-paste porcelain

Techniques used in production

Press-moulding : Hard-paste porcelain, press-moulded, glazed, and painted in two shades of green, yellow, flesh pink, pink, red, a little purple, brown, grey, and black enamels, and lightly gilt

Inscription or legends present

Inscription present: script E

  • Text: Erato
  • Location: Back of rock
  • Method of creation: Incised
  • Type: Inscription

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.3172-1928
Primary reference Number: 140233
Old object number: 3964
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Thursday 16 July 2020 Last processed: Friday 8 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) "The Muse Erato" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/140233 Accessed: 2024-12-22 13:54:26

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/140233 |title=The Muse Erato |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-12-22 13:54:26|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:

https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-140233

Sign up for updates

Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...