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Figure of Flora 1960-348
Figure: "Flora"
Figure of Flora 1960-348

Figure: "Flora"

Dateca. 1760
Artist/Maker Bow Porcelain Manufactory (1749-1776)
OriginEngland, London
MediumSoft-paste porcelain
DimensionsOH: 17 5/6"; OW: 6 3/4"; OD: 6 3/4"
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1960-348
DescriptionPorcelain figure of "Flora": a large plain white figure of a woman in classical dress with a drape over her left arm and her skirt held up with her right hand showing her bare feet. With her left leg bent at the knee, her weight is on her right leg. In front of her, with her left hand, she holds a wreath of applied flowers and leaves. She stands on a flat square base with a mound behind her, both applied with flowers and leaves.
Label TextThe design source for this classically inspired figure of Flora can be traced back to the Roman marble sculpture of the goddess, part of the famed Farnese Palace collection compiled by Pope Paul III (1534-1549) during the Italian Renaissance. Many sculptors throughout the 18th century drew their inspiration from that renowned collection. John Michael Rysbrack, who hailed from Antwerp and went to work in England by the age of 26, was one such sculptor commissioned in the 1750s by the owner of the English estate Stourhead. In preparing to make his marble copy of Flora for the Pantheon at Stourhead, Rysbrack modelled a statuette of his work which was cast in terracotta. It is one of those terracotta casts that most likely served as the model for the Bow porcelain manufactory’s example.
Exhibition(s)