Youthful Vulcan representing Fire from a Set of Elements: C.57-1932

Titles

Youthful Vulcan representing Fire from a Set of Elements

Maker(s)

Factory: Bow Porcelain Manufactory

Entities

• Figure

Categories

• Soft-paste porcelain

Description

Soft-paste porcelain figure of Youthful Vulcan representing Fire, press-moulded, with hand-modelled details, painted in polychrome enamels, and gilt.

Soft-paste porcelain figure of Youthful Vulcan representing Fire, press-moulded, with hand-modelled details, painted over lead-glaze in blue, green, yellow, flesh-pink, pink, mauve, red, brown, grey, and black enamels, and gilt. The underside has speckled glaze and a central circular ventilation hole. The high square base has five scroll feet and a pierced semi-circular rocaille motif between the front two. On the proper left there is a tall brown and grey rock supporting vase-shaped brazier picked out in gold with yellow and red flames issuing from its mouth. At the bottom of the rock at the back, there is a rough-ly square hole to take an attachment. Vulcan stands beside the rock with his left leg forward, his right shoulder and arm forward, and both hands touching the brazier. He has brown hair and boldly delineated features. He wears a white drape with a red and gold floral pat-tern at the front and a red and black floral pattern at the back, which is lined with pink, and held on by a pale blue strap passing over his right shoulder. On the ground beside his right foot there is a dark pink phoe-nix amid red and yellow flames rising from a reddish-brown area. On the front of the base there is a group of three blue flowers and one red, with leaves, and on the front of the rock, a group of three dark pink flowers and leaves. The scrolls on the base are picked out in gold.

Notes

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

Legal notes

Given by Mrs W.D. Dickson

Place(s) associated

• Stratford-le-Bow ⪼ Essex ⪼ England

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1932-10-14) by Dickson, W. D. (Frances Louisa), Mrs

Dating

18th Century, third quarter#
George III
Circa 1765 CE - 1770 CE

Note

Although much adapted, this figure was probably derived from the female statue of Fire by Nicolas Dossier (active 1664-1701) at the Rampe Sud du parterre de Latone in the garden at Versailles. The Bow Elements on high scrolled bases, C24 in Bradshaw's list of Bow figures, were reissues of a set on low bases.

School or Style

Rococo