Achilles dipped in the Styx
Plate
ca. 1740-50 (made)
ca. 1740-50 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The scene on this dish depicts a famous event in Greek mythology. The infant Achilles, one of the heroes of the Trojan War, is being immersed by his mother Thetis in the Styx, the river of the underworld, in order to make him invulnerable. The scene was copied, probably in the 1740s, from a print made and published by Edmé Jeaurat (1688-1738) in 1719 after Nicolas Vleughels (1668-1737).
The painting technique, known as en grisaille, is here employed at its heighest levels, allowing the close imitation of the hatched texture of the original print. An identical dish, with an armorial device, is kept at the British Museum.
The painting technique, known as en grisaille, is here employed at its heighest levels, allowing the close imitation of the hatched texture of the original print. An identical dish, with an armorial device, is kept at the British Museum.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Achilles dipped in the Styx (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Porcelain painted in overglaze black enamel and gilded |
| Brief description | Porcelain dish, painted en grisaille with the scene 'Achilles dipped in the Styx'; China (Jingdezhen), Qing dynasty, ca. 1740-50 |
| Physical description | Porcelain dish, painted en grisaille with a woman dipping an infant in a river and surrounded by her attendants. The rim is gilded. |
| Dimensions |
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| Styles | |
| Credit line | Basil Ionides Bequest |
| Production | label |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | The scene on this dish depicts a famous event in Greek mythology. The infant Achilles, one of the heroes of the Trojan War, is being immersed by his mother Thetis in the Styx, the river of the underworld, in order to make him invulnerable. The scene was copied, probably in the 1740s, from a print made and published by Edmé Jeaurat (1688-1738) in 1719 after Nicolas Vleughels (1668-1737). The painting technique, known as en grisaille, is here employed at its heighest levels, allowing the close imitation of the hatched texture of the original print. An identical dish, with an armorial device, is kept at the British Museum. |
| Bibliographic reference | Kerr, Rose and Luisa E. Mengoni Chinese Export Ceramics London: V&A Publishing, 2011, p.70, pl.91
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.76-1963 |
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| Record created | June 25, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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