Bacchanal of putti thumbnail 1
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Not currently on display at the V&A

Bacchanal of putti

Relief
ca. 1640-1668 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This ivory relief representing a bacchanal of putti was made by Gérard van Opstal (1595-1668) in Flanders, in the mid-17th century. This relief shows a frieze of nine putti and one infant satyr playing with two goats; two of the putti are winged. Their windswept hair and plump bodies are typical of the work of Gérard van Opstal, and although this piece is unsigned, it is so close to the documented reliefs by him in the Louvre, two of which are signed, that it must be ascribed to him, and its quality suggests it is likely to be an autograph work.

Gérard van Opstal (ca. 1604 – 1668) was registered as apprentice to the Brussels artist Niklaas Diodone in 1621. He later collaborated with his father-in-law, the sculptor Hans van Mildert (ca. 1588-1638) in Antwerp. At the invitation of Cardinal Richelieu, in about 1642, van Opstal moved to Paris, where he produced archietectural carvings and where he worked under Sarazin on the decorations of the Louvre and the Tuileries, and later on the Hôtel Carnavalet. He specialised in low-relief friezes of mythological subjects, depicting tritons, nereids, and centaurs, for numerous palaces and hotels particuliers in and around Paris. In 1648 he helped found the Academie Royale. He was influenced by Peter Paul Rubens and Francois du Quesnoy.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleBacchanal of putti (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Ivory on later wood backing
Brief description
Relief, ivory, a Bacchanal of putti, by Gérard van Opstal, French, ca. 1640-1668
Physical description
The pierced relief represents a bacchanal of nine putti and one infant satyr playing with two goats; two of the putti are winged.
Dimensions
  • Height: 13.5cm
  • Width: 64.6cm
  • Depth: 1.6cm
Object history
Bought for £110 5s. from Dr Hildburgh F.S.A. in 1933, using funds from the Murray bequest.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This ivory relief representing a bacchanal of putti was made by Gérard van Opstal (1595-1668) in Flanders, in the mid-17th century. This relief shows a frieze of nine putti and one infant satyr playing with two goats; two of the putti are winged. Their windswept hair and plump bodies are typical of the work of Gérard van Opstal, and although this piece is unsigned, it is so close to the documented reliefs by him in the Louvre, two of which are signed, that it must be ascribed to him, and its quality suggests it is likely to be an autograph work.

Gérard van Opstal (ca. 1604 – 1668) was registered as apprentice to the Brussels artist Niklaas Diodone in 1621. He later collaborated with his father-in-law, the sculptor Hans van Mildert (ca. 1588-1638) in Antwerp. At the invitation of Cardinal Richelieu, in about 1642, van Opstal moved to Paris, where he produced archietectural carvings and where he worked under Sarazin on the decorations of the Louvre and the Tuileries, and later on the Hôtel Carnavalet. He specialised in low-relief friezes of mythological subjects, depicting tritons, nereids, and centaurs, for numerous palaces and hotels particuliers in and around Paris. In 1648 he helped found the Academie Royale. He was influenced by Peter Paul Rubens and Francois du Quesnoy.
Bibliographic references
  • Victoria and Albert Museum, Review of the Principal Acquisitions During the Year 1930. London, pp. 7, 8, fig. 1
  • Ivoires du Musée du Louvre 1480-1850. Paris, 2005, p. 106
  • Cf. Molinier, É. Histoire générale des arts appliqués à l'industrie du Ve à la fin du XVIIIe siècle. I. Ivoires. Paris, 1896, pp. 229-230
  • Cf. Burlington Fine Arts Club. Cataloguer of an exhibition of carvings in ivory. London, 1923, no. 195, pl. 49
  • Cf. Scherer, C. Elfenbeinplastik seit der Renaissance. Leipzig, 1903, pp. 37, 38, figs. 30, 31
  • Cf. La Sculpture au Siècle de Rubens. Brussels, 1977, no. 213, p. 251
  • Cf. Molinier, É. Les ivoires. Paris, 1896, pp. 333-335
  • Trusted, Marjorie, Baroque & Later Ivories, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 2013, cat. no. 227
Collection
Accession number
A.33-1930

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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