Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: The Fox and Dog Plate, 1753

The Victoria & Albert Museum



This plate of soft-paste porcelain is cleverly painted with enamels and molded in relief with a scene from Aesop's fable of “The Fox, the Dog and the Cock.” Such a dish was made for decorative purposes (or perhaps, remotely as a plate for light desserts or cheese) as opposed to practical use. The fabled scene is shown against an enameled landscape with a river and mountains. The decorative rim is molded with lush design of shell ornament and painted with floral accents.

This was made in Chelsea, England between 1753-1755 and was most likely modeled by Nicholas Sprimont and painted by J.H. O’Neale. These attributions are not entirely certain, but can be deduced by examples of similar ceramics that bear the marks of these celebrated gentlemen.

Another clue is the shape of the plate itself. The plate mirrors the forms of metalwork and silver plates of the era, particularly those of the silversmith Nicholas Sprimont--the proprietor of the Chelsea factory.

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