Abstract
HE ACQUISITION of two terracotta groups by the Metropolitan Museum in 1993 raises some intriguing questions as to the role played by eighteenth-century Parisian silversmiths in the creation of silver sculpture. Each group is composed of two children seated amid piles of game or vegetables and crustacea.1 In one (Figures 1, 2) they are tussling on a mound of dead birds and game: one child grabs at a bird held in the other's arm, and that child pulls the other's hair. In the second group (Figure 3) two children lounge on a bed of asparagus, lettuce, celery, and mushrooms from which emerge a lobster and a crayfish. One child clasps a large bunch of artichoke stalks, the other holds a cluster of leafy stems in the folds of his drapery. Each composition is set on a lightly ridged, rocky base resting on a smooth plinth. Clearly en suite, the groups are different only in the shape of their bases: the first is oval, the second circular. This circumstance, taken together with the specific and highly detailed modeling of comestibles, led to the thought that they must have been models for the covers of silver tureens.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callSimilar Papers
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
