Baluster vase with Samson and Delilah, by Denis Lefebvre

An image of Baluster vase and cover. Conrade Pottery. Lefebvre, Denis. Baluster-shaped with octagonal lower part, and octagonal cover, domed in the centre, and surmounted by a cone-shaped finial which is a replacement in hard-paste porcelain held on by a dowel. The sides are decorated with a continuous scene of Samson and Delilah with in the background, a lake (or the sea), buildings on islands or the shore, and distant mountains. Samson with the ass's jawbone in one hand, lies asleep against the knees of Delilah, who holds a pair of scissors, and has already cut off some of his hair. Behind her are five Phillistines dressed in Roman style armour, one holding a rope to bind Samson. On the right there are two columns and a tent, and on the left, a column and behind it in the distance, a troop of soldiers. On the other side there is a standing soldier on the extreme left, some armour on the ground, and a man to its right pointing towards it. Further to the right are two standing soldiers, one resting his arm on a shield. Behind him are three tents. On the ground to the right of the man wth the shield, there is a stone block inscribed 'DL(joined) F/1644'. The cover is decorated with blue waves on which there is a mermaid holding a torch, a triton, Neptune reclining on a fish with a putto in front of hime, shells, and a large fish. The finial is blue with remnants of gilding. Earthenware, tin-glazed, painted in polychrome, height (whole) 45 cm, diameter (base) 16.5 cm, diameter (rim) 12.4 cm, dated 1644. Nevers, France. Renaissance.

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Baluster vase and cover. Conrade Pottery. Lefebvre, Denis. Baluster-shaped with octagonal lower part, and octagonal cover, domed in the centre, and surmounted by a cone-shaped finial which is a replacement in hard-paste porcelain held on by a dowel. The sides are decorated with a continuous scene of Samson and Delilah with in the background, a lake (or the sea), buildings on islands or the shore, and distant mountains. Samson with the ass's jawbone in one hand, lies asleep against the knees of Delilah, who holds a pair of scissors, and has already cut off some of his hair. Behind her are five Phillistines dressed in Roman style armour, one holding a rope to bind Samson. On the right there are two columns and a tent, and on the left, a column and behind it in the distance, a troop of soldiers. On the other side there is a standing soldier on the extreme left, some armour on the ground, and a man to its right pointing towards it. Further to the right are two standing soldiers, one resting his arm on a shield. Behind him are three tents. On the ground to the right of the man wth the shield, there is a stone block inscribed 'DL(joined) F/1644'. The cover is decorated with blue waves on which there is a mermaid holding a torch, a triton, Neptune reclining on a fish with a putto in front of hime, shells, and a large fish. The finial is blue with remnants of gilding. Earthenware, tin-glazed, painted in polychrome, height (whole) 45 cm, diameter (base) 16.5 cm, diameter (rim) 12.4 cm, dated 1644. Nevers, France. Renaissance.

Image data

Accession Number: C.2314 & A-1928
Photograph copyright © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.
Aperture: f/32.0
Focal length: 85
Camera: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II
Photographer name: Michael Jones
Image height: 1024 pixels
Image width: 683 pixels
Processed with: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.4 (Windows)
Filesize: 688.45kB
Exposure time: 1/100
ISO Speed: 100
Fnumber: 32/1
Captured: 2009:01:16 20:55:51

Key words

17th Century armour baluster vase biblical Conrade Pottery cover Delilah Denis Lefebvre earthenware enamel enamelled Fitz_AA French glazed Late Renaissance Lefebvre lidded Nevers pottery Old Testament Philistine polychrome pottery religion religious Renaissance Samson Samson and Delilah sea soldiers tin-glazed vase warriors

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            The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025)
            "Baluster vase with Samson and Delilah, by Denis Lefebvre"
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