Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Ceramics, Room 139, The Curtain Foundation Gallery

Flora and Zephyrus

Group
ca. 1770 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Figure group, in hard-paste porcelain painted in enamels and gilded, of Flora sitting on a rocky bank, half-reclining, with a bouquet of flowers in her right hand and her left arm resting on the shoulder of Zephyrus, towards whom her head is turned; zephyrus sits by her side, offering her a basket of flowers, which he places with his left hand on her lap; a larger basket containing flowers stands at his feet; Cupid, with his quiver slung, lies naked beside the rock, tugging with his left hand at a pink mantle, which is thrown over the rock; the left arm of Flora, and the lower part of her body and limbs are covered with yellow-lined drapery, decorated with sprigs of flowers in circular medallions surrounded by gilt wreaths and reserved on a bluish-green ground; drapery with similar lining and gilt sprays on a crimson ground is thrown over the knees of Zephyrus; the group rests on an oblong base rounded at the corners and decorated in front with symmetrical gilt scrollwork. Several aesthetic elements point towards the Plymouth factory as the place of production. This includes: the hollow nature of the figure group, the glazed interior, the fact that the glaze in the interior is smoke-stained, the gilding on the base and the inserted yellow flowers into the floral arrangement.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleFlora and Zephyrus (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Hard-paste porcelain, painted in enamels and gilded
Brief description
Figure group of hard-paste porcelain, painted in enamels and gilded, of 'Zephyrus, Flora and Cupid', of hard-paste porcelain, made by William Cookworthy, porcelain factory, Plymouth, ca. 1770.
Physical description
Figure group, in hard-paste porcelain painted in enamels and gilded, of Flora sitting on a rocky bank, half-reclining, with a bouquet of flowers in her right hand and her left arm resting on the shoulder of Zephyrus, towards whom her head is turned; zephyrus sits by her side, offering her a basket of flowers, which he places with his left hand on her lap; a larger basket containing flowers stands at his feet; Cupid, with his quiver slung, lies naked beside the rock, tugging with his left hand at a pink mantle, which is thrown over the rock; the left arm of Flora, and the lower part of her body and limbs are covered with yellow-lined drapery, decorated with sprigs of flowers in circular medallions surrounded by gilt wreaths and reserved on a bluish-green ground; drapery with similar lining and gilt sprays on a crimson ground is thrown over the knees of Zephyrus; the group rests on an oblong base rounded at the corners and decorated in front with symmetrical gilt scrollwork. Several aesthetic elements point towards the Plymouth factory as the place of production. This includes: the hollow nature of the figure group, the glazed interior, the fact that the glaze in the interior is smoke-stained, the gilding on the base and the inserted yellow flowers into the floral arrangement.
Dimensions
  • Height: 26cm
  • Length: 28.9cm
Credit line
Given by Lady Charlotte Schreiber
Object history
Purchased by Lady Charlotte Schreiber from Jacobs, London, for £15 in March 1869. According to ancient myth, Zephyr was one of the four winds and Flora was the goddess of flowers. Their union signified the arrival of spring and the renewal of life and it was a suitable subject to commemorate a wedding. This subject gained popularity across the Continent during the early and mid-eighteenth centuries.
Subjects depicted
Bibliographic reference
Honey, W.B. Old English Porcelain: A Handbook for Collectors. London : Faber & Faber, 1977. opp 241 p, col. pl. D
Other number
Sch. I 731 - Schreiber number
Collection
Accession number
414:728-1885

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Record createdFebruary 10, 2009
Record URL
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