Miniature porringer

I. H.

1694–95 · Silver · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

The subject seems deliberately enigmatic. Venus or a nymph lies open-eyed, but in a trancelike state, cradling Cupid in one arms and his bow in the other. Cupid is only momentarily hampered, however, for he appears ready to slip loose and strike a blow with an arrow drawn from his unguarded quiver. The artist of this erotic group shows knowledge of various stylistic trends. A point of departure may have been Giovanni Bologna’s bronze of a sleeping nymph spied upon by a satyr (the best documented version was in Dresden by 1587; Keutner, H., in Giambologna. Exhibition catalogue, Arts Council of Great Britain, London, 1978, no. 69). Our woodcarver, encouraged by the low-lying figures, has explored a format that is simultaneously a high relief meant to be viewed from above and a statuette with secondary viewpoints, as in a group of German woodcarvings of around 1630 (Rasmussren, J. Barockplastik in Norddeutschland. Exhibition catalogue, Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, 1977, nos. 53, 54; figures of Lucretia and a sleeping nude attributed provisionally to Zacharias Hegewald, 1596–1639). The present model, though voluptuous, is relatively classicizing and may speak for a Flemish carver experimenting with this relief-like manner. In any case, it is worthy of a princely Kunstkammer and a welcome addition to the Museum’s small collection of Baroque woodcarvings.

Artist

I. H.

Date

1694–95

Medium

Silver

Culture

British, London

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

The Joseph M. and Aimee Loeb May Collection, 1963