Skip to main content

Venus and Cupid in a Shell: M.37-1997

Object information

Current Location: In storage

Titles

Venus and Cupid in a Shell
The Birth of Venus

Maker(s)

Sculptor: Keller, Heinrich

Entities

Categories

Description

Bronze, cast. The Roman goddess Venus kneels in the centre of a scallop shell, which she holds open with her outstretched arms. Her head is turned to the left, to face her son Cupid, who stands within the shell on Venus's proper left side. Cupid kisses his mother tenderly, his left hand cupping her chin, his right hand grasping the back of her neck. The shell rests upon an integrated bronze socle which depicts the heads of two dolphins emerging from the sea.

Notes

History note: Sylvia Adams; sold to Lt Col. the Hon. M.T. Boscawen, DSO, MC (1892-1958) on 15 August 1951, together with Prieur's 'Lion Walking with Right Paw Raised' [see M.28-1997] (£2750 for both); bequeathed to his sister, the Hon. Mrs Pamela Sherek; bequeathed by the Hon. Mrs Pamela Sherek, from the collection of the late Lt Col. the Hon. M.T. Boscawen, DSO, MC, in his memory.

Legal notes

Bequeathed by the Hon Mrs Pamela Sherek, from the collection of the late Lt. Col. the Hon. M.T. Boscawen, DSO, MC, in his memory

Measurements and weight

Height: 24.3 cm

Place(s) associated

  • Rome ⪼ Italy

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1995) by Sherek, Pamela

Dating

19th Century, Early#
Production date: circa AD 1812 : Original model: c. 1812; the present bronze cast at an unknown date after 1812.

School or Style

Neoclassical

People, subjects and objects depicted

Project

  • Sculpture UK

Components of the work

Sculpture Depth 18.6 cm Height 24.1 cm Width 25.6 cm

Materials used in production

Bronze

Techniques used in production

Casting (process) : Figure, cast

References and bibliographic entries

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: M.37-1997
Primary reference Number: 14130
Old object number: B.38.
External ID: CAM_CCF_M_37_1997
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Monday 18 December 2023 Last processed: Monday 18 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 and Cupid in a Shell" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/14130 Accessed: 2024-12-18 17:26:21

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/14130 |title=Venus and Cupid in a Shell |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-12-18 17:26:21|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-14130

Sign up for updates

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