Figure
ca. 1758-60 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The earliest porcelain figures were made for the dessert course of grand dinners and replaced the sugar paste and wax figures made since medieval times for royal feasts. Originally intended as expressions of dynastic power and to celebrate political allegiances, allegorical themes had been introduced into these table settings by the 16th century. By the 18th century many were entirely decorative. Meissen in Germany was the first factory to make porcelain figures for the dessert. It set the sculptural conventions followed by porcelain factories elsewhere.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Soft-paste porcelain, painted in enamels |
| Brief description | Figure of woman, representing Ceres, Cybele or Earth, soft-paste porcelain painted in enamels, made by the Bow Porcelain Factory, ca. 1758-60 |
| Physical description | Figure of Ceres or Cybele, representing Earth; she stands, wearing cape fastened at right shoulder, and holding cornucopia of fruit. A lion lies at her feet. From a set of the Four Elements |
| Credit line | Bequeathed by Mr Arthur Hurst |
| Object history | Note in accessions register: 'Identified as 'Cybele with a lion representing Earth'. See Plagiarism Personified, catalogue of an exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum, 1986, p24. Cybele was primarily a nature goddess, responsible for maintaining and reproducing the wild things of the earth. She frequented mountains and woodland areas and was usually represented either riding a chariot drawn by lions or seated on a throne flanked by two lions. Cybele is frequently identified with various other mother goddesses, notably Agdistis. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | The earliest porcelain figures were made for the dessert course of grand dinners and replaced the sugar paste and wax figures made since medieval times for royal feasts. Originally intended as expressions of dynastic power and to celebrate political allegiances, allegorical themes had been introduced into these table settings by the 16th century. By the 18th century many were entirely decorative. Meissen in Germany was the first factory to make porcelain figures for the dessert. It set the sculptural conventions followed by porcelain factories elsewhere. |
| Bibliographic references |
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.240-1940 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | April 26, 2006 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
