-
Half length figure of Cupid.
unknown - Enlarge image
Half length figure of Cupid.
- Object:
Fragment from a relief
- Place of origin:
London, England (probably, made)
- Date:
1518-1522 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
unknown (production)
- Materials and Techniques:
Cast terracotta
- Museum number:
A.28-1938
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, room 58e, case WN
Object Type
This fragment of a terracotta relief depicts a Cupid figure, which may have supported a shield or other device. The relief was produced as an element in the architectural decoration for the exterior of Suffolk Place, Southwark, London. This and other reliefs were excavated on the site of the house in 1937.
Places
Suffolk Place, a vast house built by Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk between 1518 and 1522, is the earliest example of a Tudor courtyard house known to have carried this type of extensive terracotta decoration. This use of terracotta quickly became fashionable and appeared on other buildings commissioned by Henry VIII's courtiers, including Cardinal Wolsey's York Place (later Whitehall) and Hampton Court Palace.
People
Charles Brandon was an orphan raised at the court of Henry VII and became a life-long friend of Henry VIII, who made him 1st Duke of Suffolk in 1514. The Duke was one of Henry VIII's most powerful courtiers, marrying Henry's sister, Mary, in 1518.
Materials & Making
The relief is made of moulded clay which was dried and fired to create terracotta (literally 'cooked earth'), a material suitable for use as external decoration. The scale of building projects such as Suffolk Place was vast and by using a cheap raw material and a reproductive method of manufacture, the buildings could be decorated economically and speedily.
