Shuttle with Neptune and other figures thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Shuttle with Neptune and other figures

Shuttle
ca. 1750 - ca. 1800 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

On one side of the shuttle Neptune is riding a sea-horse and a mermaid is depicted. On the other side are the figures of Cupid and Abundance. The reliefs are framed by decorative scroll borders. The carving is relatively crude; the piece probably dates from the second half of the eighteenth century, and is likely to have been carved in Dieppe, where there was a flourishing tradition of ivory carving.
The two leading cities for ivory carving were Paris and Dieppe. Luxury items, such as combs were often made in Paris, especially during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. During the seventeenth century Dieppe became increasingly significant for small-scale sculpture in ivory, perhaps because it was a port.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 5 parts.

  • Shuttle
  • Screw Head
  • Screw Head
  • Scew Head
  • Shuttle
TitleShuttle with Neptune and other figures (named collection)
Materials and techniques
Ivory with metal fixings
Brief description
Shuttle, ivory, Neptune and other figures, France (Dieppe), ca. 1750-1800
Physical description
Shuttle, ivory, elliptical carved on one side with Neptune, riding a sea horse, a mermaid and a boat with a sail set; on the other side is Cupid shooting an arrow, a bird and a tree, as well as a female figure holding a bouquet of flowers, probably symbolising Abundance. Both sides are surrounded by rococo borders.
Dimensions
  • Width: 15cm
  • Height: 2cm
  • Diameter: 4.7cm
Object history
Bought for £3 15s. in 1892.
Subjects depicted
Summary
On one side of the shuttle Neptune is riding a sea-horse and a mermaid is depicted. On the other side are the figures of Cupid and Abundance. The reliefs are framed by decorative scroll borders. The carving is relatively crude; the piece probably dates from the second half of the eighteenth century, and is likely to have been carved in Dieppe, where there was a flourishing tradition of ivory carving.
The two leading cities for ivory carving were Paris and Dieppe. Luxury items, such as combs were often made in Paris, especially during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. During the seventeenth century Dieppe became increasingly significant for small-scale sculpture in ivory, perhaps because it was a port.
Bibliographic references
  • List of Objects in the Art Division South Kensington Museum acquired during the Year 1892. Arranged according to the dates of acquisition, with appendix and indices. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1893, p. 100
  • Longhurst, Margaret, H. Catalogue of Carvings in Ivory. II. London: The Board of Education, 1929, p. 81
  • Ivoires du musée du Louvre 1480-1850. Une collection inédite. (exh. cat.) Château- Musée de Dieppe, 2005, p. 138
  • Trusted, Marjorie, Baroque & Later Ivories, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 2013, cat. no. 263, pp. 273, 4
Collection
Accession number
749:4-1892

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Record createdNovember 24, 2008
Record URL
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