Crab with shells
Statuette
ca. 1745 (made)
ca. 1745 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This bronze was probably cast directly from a real crab. The body was covered in clay and fired in a kiln. It was completely burnt in the process, leaving space in the clay mould for liquid bronze to be poured in and allowed to cool, providing an exact replica of the crab. It is thought to date from the nineteenth century and to be based on the design by Nicholas Sprimont for a pair of salt cellars in the Royal Collection, made for Frederick, Prince of Wales in 1742-3.
Object details
Category | |
Object type | |
Title | Crab with shells |
Materials and techniques | Bronze |
Brief description | Salt cellar in the form of a Crab with Shells, bronze, probably after a design by Nicholas Sprimont (1716-1771), English, ca. 1745 |
Physical description | Crab with shells, bronze. The composition which is probably cast from nature shows a crab on a roughly oval base studded with shells and wood, before it is a large shell on to which it holds with its left pincer and two right forelegs. The right pincer which was originally presumably helf up has been broken off. The crab is a common shore crab frequent in European waters and the Adriatic and the shells are also European varieties. |
Dimensions |
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Object history | Purchased for £45 from Mr F Hughes, 9 Alfred Road, Sutton, Surrey. Webb Bequest |
Historical context | The composition is almost identical with that of a silver salt in the Royal Collections at Windsor, made for Frederick Prince of Wales, by Nicholas Sprimont, dated 1742-3. |
Subjects depicted | |
Association | |
Summary | This bronze was probably cast directly from a real crab. The body was covered in clay and fired in a kiln. It was completely burnt in the process, leaving space in the clay mould for liquid bronze to be poured in and allowed to cool, providing an exact replica of the crab. It is thought to date from the nineteenth century and to be based on the design by Nicholas Sprimont for a pair of salt cellars in the Royal Collection, made for Frederick, Prince of Wales in 1742-3. |
Bibliographic references |
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Collection | |
Accession number | A.2-1935 |
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Record created | June 24, 2009 |
Record URL |
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