Object Type
This figure is a domestic ornament. The figure faces forward, and is less-well finished at the back, so the piece was probably intended to be viewed from the front only. It may have been displayed against a wall, on a chimneypiece or bracket, or in a glazed cabinet.
People
The so-called 'Girl-in-a-Swing' group of porcelain figures, scent bottles and wares were named after this figure. English porcelain collectors first identified these as a distinctive group in the 1920s, but their maker was not firmly identified until 1993. They were originally attributed to the Chelsea factory of Nicholas Sprimont (1716-1771). Collectors then suggested that they were probably made at a rival factory set up by Staffordshire workmen who had quit Sprimont's works. Recent research has proved that these figures and wares were made by Charles Gouyn (died 1785). Gouyn was a second-generation jeweller with premises in St James's, London, and he had been a partner in the Chelsea factory until sometime before March 1749. However, the precise location of his factory, and the identity of the modeller of these distinctive figures, remain unknown.
Physical description
Soft-paste porcelain, slip cast depicting a girl on a swing. Oval base.
Place of Origin
London, England (possibly, made)
Date
1749-1759 (made)
Artist/maker
Gouyn, Charles (maker)
Materials and Techniques
Soft-paste porcelain, slip cast
Dimensions
Height: 15.9 cm, Width: 16.8 cm approx.
Object history note
Made at the factory of Charles Gouyn (born in Dieppe, France, died in London, 1785) possibly in St James's, London
Descriptive line
Figure, soft-paste porcelain, slip cast, 'The Girl-in-a-Swing', England, ca. 1749-1759.
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Baker, Malcolm and Richardson, Brenda, eds. A Grand Design : The Art of the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: V&A Publications, 1997. 431 p., ill. ISBN 1851773088.
This seemingly unassuming figure is the prototype (or "type specimen") that has named a highly problematic group of English porcelain figures-all unmarked-that have attracted collectors of ceramics because of the distinctive glassy, reflective qualities of their material and their charmingly naive modelling. The difficulty in identifying their place of production has also intrigued specialists exploring the smaller, more problematic English porcelain factories.
The Girl-in-a-Swing figure was given to the Museum in 1922, when it was taken to be an early product of Nicholas Sprimont's Chelsea factory. It was later suggested that the Girl-in-a-Swing group could have been made at a rival factory at Chelsea set up by Staffordshire workmen who had seceded from Sprimont's works. In 1962 V&A curators Arthur Lane and Robert Charleston greatly enlarged the group to include a large number of "toys" (etuis, scent bottles, and similar small objects), proposing an attribution to a factory of unknown location run by Charles Gouyn, a jeweller with premises in St. James's, London, who had been a partner in Sprimont's Chelsea factory until sometime before March 1749. Support for this conjecture has been provided by a recently discovered document stating that "Mr. Gouin left [the Chelsea factory] . . . and makes at his house in St. James's Street, very beautiful small porcelain figures." Despite many remaining questions, the identity of the Girl-in-a-Swing manufacturer-and the general nature of the maker's relationship with Chelsea-are now far clearer.
Lit. Lane and Charleston, 1962; Dragesco, 1993, pp. 14-21; Valpy, 1994, pp. 317-26
HILARY YOUNG
Exhibition History
Precious: Objects and Changing Values (The Millennium Galleries, Sheffield 02/04/2001-24/06/2001)
A Grand Design - The Art of the Victoria and Albert Museum (Victoria and Albert Museum 12/10/1999-16/01/2000)
Labels and date
British Galleries:
Many different recipes were in use during the early, experimental period of the English porcelain industry. Charles Gouyn's products had a very glassy body, making them liable to slump in the kiln. This figure gave its name to a group of figures and other wares now known to have been made by Gouyn. [27/03/2003]
Materials
Soft-paste porcelain; Slip
Subjects depicted
Leaves; Girl
Categories
Porcelain; Ceramics; Figures & Decorative ceramics
Collection code
CER
