Current Location: Gallery 26 (Lower Marlay)
Titles
The Fortune Teller
Maker(s)
Factory:
Bow Porcelain Manufactory
Modeller:
'The Muses Modeller'
Printer:
Aveline, Pierre Alexandre
(After)
Painter:
Boucher, François
(After)
Entities
Categories
Description
Soft-paste porcelain containing bone ash, figure group of The Fortune Teller, press-moulded, and painted overglaze in polychrome enamels, and gilt.
Soft-paste porcelain containing bone ash, figure group of The Fortune Teller, press-moulded, and painted over lead-glaze in very pale greyish-blue, turquoise-green, green, pale yellow, orange, dark pink, puce, and black enamels, and gilt. The figures stand side by side on a low rocky base which rises up in the centre of the back to support them. The bearded fortune teller stands on the left with feet apart, bending over the right hand of the young woman, which he holds by the wrist in his left hand. The girl stands on the right with her left arm by her side, holding a now missing object. Between them is a rectangular object, perhaps a book. The fortune teller wears a wreath of leaves and berries on his head, a dark pink coat with yellow lining, turquoise breeches, and black boots with a gold border at the top. She has three flowers on top of her head, and wears a petticoat decorated with turquoise flowers and puce and gold leaves, a yellow open robe with an orange stomacher and cuffs, and a trailing garland of flowers and leaves passing over her right shoulder and diagonally across her back to her waist. The visible shoe is orange. There are two areas of green on the back of the base.
Notes
History note: Unknown before donor, Mrs W.D. (Frances Louisa) Dickson, Bournemouth
Legal notes
Given by Mrs W.D. Dickson
Measurements and weight
Length: 14.2 cm
Place(s) associated
-
Stratford-le-Bow
⪼ Essex
⪼ England
Acquisition and important dates
Method of acquisition: Given
(1950-09)
by
Dickson, W. D. (Frances Louisa), Mrs
Dating
18th Century, Mid#
George II
Circa
1752
CE
-
1755
CE
Note
The group was derived from a print announced in the Mercure in April, 1738 by Pierre Alexandre Aveline (1702-60) after the painting 'La bonne aventure' by François Boucher (1703-77) for a Beauvais tapestry in the series 'The Italian Village Scenes'. A copy of the etched and engraved print is in the Victoria & Albert Museum (E.213-1889, Print Room, Box F.5.a). However, as the Bow figures are not transposed as they are in the print.
School or Style
Rococo
People, subjects and objects depicted
Components of the work
Decoration
composed of
enamels
( greyish-blue, turquoise-green, green, pale yellow, orange, dark pink, puce, and black)
gold
Girl
Height 17.1 cm
Materials used in production
presumed lead
Lead-glaze
presumed phosphatic
Soft-paste porcelain
Techniques used in production
Press-moulding
: Soft-paste porcelain containing bone ash, press-moulded, and painted overglaze in polychrome enamels, and gilt
Glazing (coating)
References and bibliographic entries
Related exhibitions
Identification numbers
Accession number: C.81-1950
Primary reference Number: 42161
Stable URI
Audit data
Created: Saturday 6 August 2011
Updated: Tuesday 24 January 2017
Last processed: Friday 8 December 2023
Associated departments & institutions
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Applied Arts
