Figure of the Day: The Flower Girl, c. 1760

The Flower Girl
The Bow Porcelain Factory
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This figure from the Bow Porcelain Factory depicts a young woman with a basket of flowers. She symbolizes Springtime with her basket of flowers, her pink bodice and green corsage and diapered skirt of red, yellow and green. Blue circles and stars adorn her outfit and match her blue shoes—topped by pink rosettes.

She’s wholly Rococo on her circular base with applied leaves. This work of soft-paste porcelain painted with enamels and gilding followed the French fashion of porcelain figural groups designed for the dessert table. 

Figure of the Day: The Banyan Man, 1760-1780

The Banyan Man
France, 1760-1780
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The work of The Lunéville Pottery Factory in France, this wholly Rococo figure of a standing man was made to appeal to the Eighteenth Century fascination with the exotic and the asian. The figure is dressed in a turban and a banyan, and is likely a lost member of a set of dessert figurines.

The figure was made of tin-glazed earthenware adorned with enamel colors and dates between 1760 and 1780. 

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: George IV’s Gilt Bottle Cooler, 1827

Bottle Cooler
Silver Gilt, 1827-1828
John Flaxman for Rundell, Bridge & Rundell
Made for King George IV
One of a set of four.
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection

John Flaxman, the chief designer at the Royal Jewelers of Rundell, Bridge & Rundell, shared King George IV’s love of antiques and passion for exotic architecture. This bottle cooler of silver gilt by Flaxman was part of a set of four designed specifically for George IV. Its marine theme would have appealed to George IV who preferred to stay at the seaside in Brighton. Combined into a magnificent marriage of Renaissance and Rococo style, we see a figure of Venus rising from the waves, surrounded by three tritons.


So thrilled was George IV with this piece and its companions, that he ordered similarly-themed suites of silver gilt to use in the Brighton Pavilion. These eclectic pieces showed George IV’s interest in the arts as well as foreshadowed the trends in design which would rise in prominence during Queen Victoria’s reign.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

The Home Beautiful: A Figure of Caritas, c. 1759

Caritas
Germany, 1759
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made in Fürstenberg, Germany (presumably where the family of Diane is von), this figure group of hard-paste porcelain depicts a woman wearing a head-cloth and a flowered smock. Seated upon the sort of Rococo base one would expect from a German figure of the 1750s, the woman is nursing a child while other children are flitting about in various stages of dress. The group obviously is meant to represent Caritas (Charity). It’s the work of the Fürstenberg Porcelain Factory’s chief modeler Johann Christoph Rombrich and dates to about 1759. 

Figure of the Day: A London Dandy, c. 1754

London Dandy
Meissen
Germany, c. 1754
The Victoria & ALbert Museum

Here’s a German idea of the image of a London Dandy. Made by Meissen around 1754, this figure of hard-paste porcelain is gilded and painted with enamels. The modeler has taken great pains to depict the costume of an English dandy accurately. He’s shown with his long lilac coat, his crimson cuffs, his tri-corne hat, long wig and feathers. The scrolled base is picked out in gold, making it the height of Rococo fun.

The figure is the work of one of my favorite Meissen modelers, Johann Joachim Kändler (1706 -1775).

To Serve and Project: The Bow Porcelain Coffee Pot, 1760

Coffee Pot
Bow Porcelain Factory, 1760
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This ornate pot was for intended for making and serving coffee. In the Eighteenth Century, when this coffee pot was made, coffee was usually drunk with milk, and often sweetened with sugar. At the time, Britain was importing approximately 3,000,000 lbs of coffee beans per annum, and nearly two-thirds of that came from plantations in the West Indies with the remainder from Arabia.

Coffee pots very similar to this one were made at the Niderviller faïence factory in Lorraine on the edge of eastern France. This example, from c. 1760, was made in at the Bow Porcelain Factory, London. Both the Bow and Niderviller pieces were possibly copied from an original pot which was made at the Italian Doccia porcelain factory near Florence.


The Bow factory use a porcelain making technique which strengthened the material with bone ash, making it suitable for tea- and table-wares. Bow was primarily concerned with utilitarian wares, but every so often, they’d create a special luxury piece like this one.

The pot is baluster shaped and it is modeled with a Rococo scroll and shell motif. The piece has been painted with exotic birds; with scrolls picked out in puce, blue and gilding.

Mastery of Design: The Pratbernon Nécessaire, 1766

Necessities Case
English, 1766
The Victoria & Albert Museum

A “nécessaire” was a purely luxury object designed to hold a whole range of personal and toiletry items. Scent bottles, cosmetic cases, medicine bottles, writing implements, moustache combs, ear spoons, scissors, nail tools and a whole host of other items were produced to be stored in matching these matching for use by a woman or man of fashion.

The contents of this example which dates to 1766 include: five bottles with stoppers, a pencil and an ivory writing tablet, scissors, a mirror, a comb, a brush, toothpicks, a tongue scraper, a bodkin combined with a spoon for ear wax, and a file combined with a pair of tweezers.

So who created this lovely Rococo box of wood, silver, hold, tortoise shell, ivory, agate and mother-of-pearl?  Tucked inside the box, visible only if tall of the fittings are removed, are the signature and date “J. Pratbernon / 1766.”  This was probably the John Pratbernon who described as a gold and silver worker living on Oxford Street in 1774.

Another feature which makes this nécessaire all the more exceptional is the inclusion of figured scenes in gold which have been applied atop and along the sides of the case.  The scenes show pastoral groups in then-contemporary dress, acting as a permanent reminder of the style to which the owner of this case aspired. Matching figures surmount the individual bottles.

Join us tomorrow for more pretty things, and, this week's Treat of the Week.  See you then.

Figure of the Day: The Pink Umbrella, c. 1773

Figure Group
Frankenthal, Germany
c. 1773
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made by the Frankenthal Porcelain Factory of Germany around 1773, this hard-paste porcelain figure group is the work of modeler Konrad Linck. 

The group, painted in enamel colors, depicts a Chinese man and woman. The man lies beside a tall vessel composed of overlapping palm leaves. His companion leans against this vase, shielding her face with a pink umbrella. The base shows Rococo influence with its relief mound of plants and cabbages.

Mastery of Design: The Putti Snuffbox, 1750

Click images to enlarge.
German Snuffbox
Circa 1750
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

I always like the snuffboxes that are constructed of different media. Typically, we see examples made of precious metals or porcelain, but every so often, we get one of shell or bone which is just lovely. This one is made of tortoiseshell—a medium which found its way into a variety of the decorative arts.

The cartouche-shaped box depicts a scene of putti playing in a fountain—as they do. It’s quite a clever use of carious precious materials. The pilasters with their scrolling decoration are made of inlaid gold while the putti themselves are rendered in ivory. Mother-of-pearl inlay forms the fountain while lapis lazuli and malachite add notes of blue and green respectively to the piece.

There’s no doubt as to the Rococo influence here. Made around 1750, this box is a nifty example of a German take on the Rococo. There’s some debate about just where in Germany the box was made. Some say Southern Germany, particularly Bavaria, while others insist that the piece was constructed in Berlin.

The sides are adorned with more putti and gold shells while the base is engraved with a gold rocaille. The reeded mount comes alive with shell and the scrolled thumb-piece adds interest to the front. Today, the box forms part of the magnificent Gilbert Collection at the V&A. 

Figure of the Day: A London Dandy, c. 1754

London Dandy
Meissen
Germany, c. 1754
The Victoria & ALbert Museum

Here’s a German idea of the image of a London Dandy. Made by Meissen around 1754, this figure of hard-paste porcelain is gilded and painted with enamels. The modeler has taken great pains to depict the costume of an English dandy accurately. He’s shown with his long lilac coat, his crimson cuffs, his tri-corne hat, long wig and feathers. The scrolled base is picked out in gold, making it the height of Rococo fun.

The figure is the work of one of my favorite Meissen modelers, Johann Joachim Kändler (1706 -1775).

Figure of the Day: Winter and Spring, 1759-1769

Figure Group
Chelsea, England
1759-1769
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This figure group in soft-paste porcelain, enamels and gilding, depicts a skating man—a representation of Winter—and a woman who gathers flowers into her apron. Of course, she represents Spring. The holly bush behind them, an evergreen, joins them together.

The group, made by the Chelsea Porcelain Factory between 1759 and 1769 demonstrates the fine quality of the masterful porcelain pieces which were produced in England during the mid-Eighteenth Century. Mimicking the French fashion, manufactures such as the Chelsea Factory were able to create exceptional pieces with the brilliant-hued enamels which were so fashionable at the time. In true Rococo style, the base features graceful curves and applied foliage.

This group was a pair with another representing Summer and Autumn.

Painting of the Day: Madame de Pompadour, Mistress of Louis XV, 1758

Madame de Pompadour
Mistress of Louis XV
Boucher, 1758
The Victoria and Albert Museum

This stunning portrait is the work of François Boucher (1703-1770) who was born in Paris and most likely trained as an artist under his father who was a painter. Boucher went on to attend the Académie de France in Rome. In Paris, he gained royal favor and of private collectors, producing a tremendous range of artworks from pastoral paintings, porcelain and tapestry designs to stage designs. He was one of the foremost influences on the Rococo Movement.

As a perfect example of his work, this painting also serves to demonstrate the dominant Rococo style of Seventeenth-Century France. The subject is the Marquise de Pompadour who became in 1745 the favorite mistress of King Louis XV. Madame de Pompadour is depicted in a garden, clad in an elegant white silk dress which blends into the green of the garden. This sort of subtle artificiality combined with just enough naturalism was a hallmark of Rococo artists.

Figure of the Day: The Flower Girl, c. 1760

The Flower Girl
The Bow Porcelain Factory
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This figure from the Bow Porcelain Factory depicts a young woman with a basket of flowers. She symbolizes Springtime with her basket of flowers, her pink bodice and green corsage and diapered skirt of red, yellow and green. Blue circles and stars adorn her outfit and match her blue shoes—topped by pink rosettes.

She’s wholly Rococo on her circular base with applied leaves. This work of soft-paste porcelain painted with enamels and gilding followed the French fashion of porcelain figural groups designed for the dessert table. 

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: The Bow Porcelain Sheep, 1765

Sheep
Bow Porcelain Factory
England, 1765
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made at England’s Bow Porcelain Factory, this figure of soft-paste porcelain sates to about 1765. This little sheep is painted with enamel colors. He’s shown standing beside a stump which is adorned with large leaves and flowers with yellow centers and white petals. As sheep tend to do, he is eating the grass and plants around him. This is a great example of the sort of figure which was popular during the Rococo movement. Even the base is Rococo with its six, low feet which have been picked out in green and purple. 

Unusual Artifacts: George IV’s Gilt Bottle Cooler, 1827

Bottle Cooler
Silver Gilt, 1827-1828
John Flaxman for Rundell, Bridge & Rundell
Made for King George IV
One of a set of four.
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection

John Flaxman, the chief designer at the Royal Jewelers of Rundell, Bridge & Rundell, shared King George IV’s love of antiques and passion for exotic architecture. This bottle cooler of silver gilt by Flaxman was part of a set of four designed specifically for George IV. Its marine theme would have appealed to George IV who preferred to stay at the seaside in Brighton. Combined into a magnificent marriage of Renaissance and Rococo style, we see a figure of Venus rising from the waves, surrounded by three tritons.


So thrilled was George IV with this piece and its companions, that he ordered similarly-themed suites of silver gilt to use in the Brighton Pavilion. These eclectic pieces showed George IV’s interest in the arts as well as foreshadowed the trends in design which would rise in prominence during Queen Victoria’s reign.

Figure of the Day: The Bow Porcelain Sheep, 1765

Sheep
Bow Porcelain Factory
England, 1765
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made at England’s Bow Porcelain Factory, this figure of soft-paste porcelain sates to about 1765. This little sheep is painted with enamel colors. He’s shown standing beside a stump which is adorned with large leaves and flowers with yellow centers and white petals. As sheep tend to do, he is eating the grass and plants around him. This is a great example of the sort of figure which was popular during the Rococo movement. Even the base is Rococo with its six, low feet which have been picked out in green and purple. 

The Home Beautiful: A Chippendale Dressing Table, 1762

Dressing Table
Thomas Chippendale, 1762
The Lady Lever Art Gallery
Liverpool

Furnishing such as this Chinese-inspired Rococo piece grace the Royal residences—many of which are decorated in a modified Rococo style. This particular piece is the work of Thomas Chippendale—perhaps the most celebrated name in English furniture design.

When Chippendale first arrived in London from Yorkshire in the 1750’s, he came without any connections or opportunities and made a name for himself by publishing catalogs of his designs. By the third edition of this publication, he had already built several of the example designs that he presented. This dressing table was created for Lady Arniston and features inlays of rosewood, mahogany and maple with gilt pine and ormolu mounts. The shelf beneath the moveable mirror would have been hidden behind a curtain which is now lost.

As styles changed from the Rococo to the Neoclassical, so did Chippendale’s designs. This Rococo style, however, remained a popular model and Chippendale would create modified versions of this piece throughout his career.

Precious Time: The Jean-Pierre Latz Clock, 1735-1740

Rococo Clock
Jean-Pierre Latz
1735-1740
French
The Royal Collection

King George IV collected a variety of different objects, but he was always quite passionate about those which had some connection to France. In 1816, while still Prince Regent, George purchased this clock which was said to have been from the collection of the Palace of Versailles. The clock, designed by Jean-Pierre Latz between 1735 and 1740 in a distinct Rococo style, was actually quite out of fashion by 1816 as Neoclassicism was on the rise.


Regardless of its out-moded (for the time) design, the association with Versailles was too enticing to the Prince Regent. He displayed the clock as the centerpiece of The Grand Staircase.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Images Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: The Bow Porcelain Coffee Pot, 1760

Coffee Pot
Bow Porcelain Factory, 1760
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This ornate pot was for intended for making and serving coffee. In the Eighteenth Century, when this coffee pot was made, coffee was usually drunk with milk, and often sweetened with sugar. At the time, Britain was importing approximately 3,000,000 lbs of coffee beans per annum, and nearly two-thirds of that came from plantations in the West Indies with the remainder from Arabia.

Coffee pots very similar to this one were made at the Niderviller faïence factory in Lorraine on the edge of eastern France. This example, from c. 1760, was made in at the Bow Porcelain Factory, London. Both the Bow and Niderviller pieces were possibly copied from an original pot which was made at the Italian Doccia porcelain factory near Florence.


The Bow factory use a porcelain making technique which strengthened the material with bone ash, making it suitable for tea- and table-wares. Bow was primarily concerned with utilitarian wares, but every so often, they’d create a special luxury piece like this one.

The pot is baluster shaped and it is modeled with a Rococo scroll and shell motif. The piece has been painted with exotic birds; with scrolls picked out in puce, blue and gilding.

Sculpture of the Day: Cupid, the Organ Grinder, 1750-55

The Victoria and Albert Museum

Here, we have a figure of Cupid as an organ-grinder. He is sitting on a tree-trunk, and his green trousers are slipping down in the back. A fan of the nudity, is Cupid.

What’s particularly peculiar is that he’s using a cat as an organ. I don’t know why. Cranking a cat by the tail will produce a noise. But, not one you'd want to hear.

But, this is certainly very Rococo. And, it’s also quite German. It was made in Berlin of hard-paste porcelain painted in enamels, between 1750 and 1755 by Wegely's porcelain factory. It bears Wegely’s mark—a “W” in under-glaze blue at the back of the pedestal.