Touch
Group
ca. 1752-55 (made)
ca. 1752-55 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This figure group is from a set representing the Five Senses. They may have been intended for display on wall brackets or on a chimney-piece. However, they would have looked best set out on a dining table, which is probably how they were intended to be used. The earliest porcelain figures were made for the dessert course of grand dinners. They gradually replaced sugar paste and wax figures, which had been made since medieval times for royal wedding feasts. Originally intended as expressions of dynastic power and to celebrate political allegiances, by the 16th century allegorical themes had been introduced into these table settings. By the 18th century many were entirely decorative. Meissen in Germany was the first factory to make porcelain figures for the dessert, and Meissen set the sculptural conventions followed by porcelain factories elsewhere.
Materials & Making
All the figures in the group would first have been modelled in wax, possibly by a London sculptor. A set of hollow plaster moulds would have been taken from these wax originals. Several moulds would have been needed for the complete group, since it is complex with much undercutting. A mixture of clay and water would then have been poured into the hollow moulds, and removed and assembled once the clay had dried sufficiently.
This figure group is from a set representing the Five Senses. They may have been intended for display on wall brackets or on a chimney-piece. However, they would have looked best set out on a dining table, which is probably how they were intended to be used. The earliest porcelain figures were made for the dessert course of grand dinners. They gradually replaced sugar paste and wax figures, which had been made since medieval times for royal wedding feasts. Originally intended as expressions of dynastic power and to celebrate political allegiances, by the 16th century allegorical themes had been introduced into these table settings. By the 18th century many were entirely decorative. Meissen in Germany was the first factory to make porcelain figures for the dessert, and Meissen set the sculptural conventions followed by porcelain factories elsewhere.
Materials & Making
All the figures in the group would first have been modelled in wax, possibly by a London sculptor. A set of hollow plaster moulds would have been taken from these wax originals. Several moulds would have been needed for the complete group, since it is complex with much undercutting. A mixture of clay and water would then have been poured into the hollow moulds, and removed and assembled once the clay had dried sufficiently.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Titles |
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| Materials and techniques | Soft-paste porcelain and glazed |
| Brief description | Group from 'The Five Senses' in white glazed soft-paste porcelain of 'Touch' represented as a Chinese man about to chastise a little boy, made by Derby Porcelain Factory, Derby, ca. 1752-55 |
| Physical description | Group in white glazed soft-paste porcelain of a Chinese man about to chastise a little boy, and the man is wearing a large hat, a long cloak thrown over an ample robe, and has a very long moustache, and the boy is clad in a long robe and pointed cap. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Given by Lady Charlotte Schreiber |
| Object history | Purchased by Lady Charlotte Schreiber from Samuels, Norwich, for £5 in December 1872 Acquired as Bow or Chelsea porcelain. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Object Type This figure group is from a set representing the Five Senses. They may have been intended for display on wall brackets or on a chimney-piece. However, they would have looked best set out on a dining table, which is probably how they were intended to be used. The earliest porcelain figures were made for the dessert course of grand dinners. They gradually replaced sugar paste and wax figures, which had been made since medieval times for royal wedding feasts. Originally intended as expressions of dynastic power and to celebrate political allegiances, by the 16th century allegorical themes had been introduced into these table settings. By the 18th century many were entirely decorative. Meissen in Germany was the first factory to make porcelain figures for the dessert, and Meissen set the sculptural conventions followed by porcelain factories elsewhere. Materials & Making All the figures in the group would first have been modelled in wax, possibly by a London sculptor. A set of hollow plaster moulds would have been taken from these wax originals. Several moulds would have been needed for the complete group, since it is complex with much undercutting. A mixture of clay and water would then have been poured into the hollow moulds, and removed and assembled once the clay had dried sufficiently. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Other number | Sch. I 284 - Schreiber number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 414:140-1885 |
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| Record created | April 7, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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