Mars and Venus and Cupid thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Mars and Venus and Cupid

Powder Flask
ca. 1830 - ca. 1850 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
France (made)

This is an ivory powder flask with silver mounts made in about 1830-50 in the style of 16th century France. It has a flattened oval form and is carved in low relief with groups of Mars, Venus and Cupid.
The poor carving suggests this ivory is an imitation of French renaissance style, recalling Fontainebleau work.


Object details

Categories
Arms & Armour
Sculpture
Sport
Accessories
Object type
Powder flask
TitleMars and Venus and Cupid (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Ivory, flattened oval form, carved in low relief with silver mounts
Ivory
Silver
Carving
Brief description
Powder flask, ivory with silver, Mars and Venus and Cupid, French, ca. 1830-1850, in the style mid 16th century
Physical description
On one side of the powder flask Mars, Venus and Cupid are represented, surrounded by garlands of fruit and flowers. A fountain mouth is shown behind the figures, and a mask beneath. On the other side, Athena is crowned by Victory, with the same decorative devices, garlands of fruit and flowers, a fountain mouth behind and a mask underneath. On the underside of the base two winged putti hold a blank shield. The carving is rather poor.
Dimensions
  • Whole height: 15.1cm
  • Width: 14cm
  • Ivory alone height: 10.5cm
Object history
This object was purchased in 1865 for £40 from a sale at the Pourtalès Collection in Paris, where many Italian art objects were being sold as a result of their flooding the market after the Napolenic wars. There it is stated to have been transformed into a sweetmeat box.
Subjects depicted
Garlands
Fruits
Flowers
Fountain
Mask
Putti
Shield
Venus
Mars
Athena
Victory
Cupid
Summary
This is an ivory powder flask with silver mounts made in about 1830-50 in the style of 16th century France. It has a flattened oval form and is carved in low relief with groups of Mars, Venus and Cupid.
The poor carving suggests this ivory is an imitation of French renaissance style, recalling Fontainebleau work.
Bibliographic references
  • Inventory of Art Objects acquired in the Year 1865. Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol. 1. London : Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868, p. 34
  • Longhurst, Margaret H. Catalogue of Carvings in Ivory. London: Published under the Authority of the Board of Education, 1927-1929, Part II, p. 72
  • Trusted, Marjorie, Baroque & Later Ivories, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 2013 p. 451
  • Trusted, Marjorie, Baroque & Later Ivories, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 2013, p. 451, cat. no. 495
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
71-1865

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Record createdApril 1, 2008
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O151869/mars-and-venus-and-cupid-powder-flask-unknown/
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