Skip to main content

Venus or Flora and Cupid: C.3218-1928

Object information

Current Location: Gallery 26 (Lower Marlay)

Titles

Venus or Flora and Cupid

Maker(s)

Factory: Este Porcelain Factory
Modeller: Varion, Pietro (Possibly)
Engraver: Boucher, François (After)
Engraver: Aveline, François Antoine II (After)

Entities

Categories

Description

Glazed hard-paste porcelain; the partially glazed underside has a cross-shaped support over the space leading into the interior. The oval base has a tall rock with a tree growing from it at the back, and on the viewer's right, a waisted pedestal of quatrefoil plan supporting a standing bowl filled with flowers. Flora or Venus stands in front of the rock holding up a small spray of flowers in her right hand, and turning to her right towards a nude putto or Cupid who holds up his right hand towards her. She is nude apart from a drape which passes behind her back, over both arms, falls down to the ground on her right and over her left thigh. Something, possibly a larger tree tree is missing from the back of the rock.

Notes

History note: Mr Stoner, London, from whom purchased on 25 June 1919 for £11 by Dr J.W.L. Glaisher, Trinity College, Cambridge

Legal notes

Dr J.W.L. Glaisher Bequest

Measurements and weight

Height: 19.5 cm
Width: 13.2 cm

Place(s) associated

  • Este ⪼ Veneto ⪼ Italy
  • Paris ⪼ Veneto ⪼ Italy

Acquisition and important dates

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

Dating

18th Century, Late
Circa 1778 CE - 1785 CE

Note

The bowl of flowers suggests that this may be Flora rather than Venus. The figures may have been modelled by Pietro Varion, and were possibly derived from one of several prints after Boucher or one by Boucher.

School or Style

Rococo

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Base Depth 10 cm

Materials used in production

clear Glaze
Hard-paste porcelain

Techniques used in production

Press-moulding : Hard-paste porcelain, press-moulded in parts, and glazed; on the underside is a cross-shaped support over aperture leading up into the rock and tree
Glazing

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.3218-1928
Primary reference Number: 140264
Old object number: 5032
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Sunday 20 March 2022 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) "Venus or Flora and Cupid" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/140264 Accessed: 2024-11-05 03:40:36

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/140264 |title=Venus or Flora and Cupid |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-05 03:40:36|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-140264

Sign up for updates

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