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The Rape of Helen: C.184-1932

Object information

Current Location: Gallery 26 (Lower Marlay)

Titles

The Rape of Helen

Maker(s)

Factory: Frankenthal Porcelain Factory
Modeller: Lanz, Johann Wilhelm

Entities

Categories

Description

Hard-paste porcelain, painted in enamels, silvered, and gilt.

Hard-paste porcelain painted overglaze in blue, pale greyish-green, green, flesh pink, dark pink, red, brown, and black enamels, silvered (now appearing as black), and gilded. The oval base is recessed underneath and has four suport struts projecting from the outer edge towards the middle at irregular intervals. The outer edge is moulded with waves coloured greyish-green surrounding the white clinker-built boat. A boatman kneels holding the rudder with his back to the viewer on the left end of the boat. He is nude apart from a white drape decorated with scattered green floral sprays. Paris stands with legs astride, holding up Helen in both arms. He wears a silver helmet and cuirass, and over his right shoulder a white cloak with scattered blue floral sprays which extends down to the top of the boat. His sandals are gold. Helen is nude except for a white drape decorated with scattered red floral sprays.

Notes

History note: Uncertain before donor, Mrs W.D. (Frances Louisa) Dickson, Bournemouth

Legal notes

Given by Mrs W.D. Dickson

Measurements and weight

Height: 32.5 cm
Length: 22 cm
Width: 11.3 cm

Place(s) associated

  • Frankenthal ⪼ The Palatinate ⪼ Germany

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1932) by Dickson, W. D. (Frances Louisa), Mrs

Dating

18th Century, third quarter
Production date: circa AD 1760

Note

On accession the model was attributed to Johann Friedrich Lück

This group derives from a bronze by Phillipe Bertrand (1771-1724) now in the Musée du Chateau de Fontainebleau, of which there is a reduced size cast in the Hermitage in St Petersburg. The bronze was engraved by Louis Desplaces (1782-1739) after a drawing by Charles-Joseph Natoire (1700-77), and was presumably the direct source for the porcelain. In the print, however, the boatman does not hold a rudder.

School or Style

Rococo

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Decoration composed of enamel ( blue, pale greyish-green, flesh pink, dark pink, red, brown, and black) gold

Materials used in production

Glaze
Hard-paste porcelain

Techniques used in production

Moulding : Hard-paste porcelain. mouled in parts, assembled, glazed, and painted overglaze in blue, pale greyish- green, green, flesh pink, dark pink, red, brown, and black enamels, silvered (now appearing as black), and gilded. The oval base is recessed underneath and has four suport struts projecting from the outer edge towards the middle at irregular intervals.
Glazing

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: R/Z
  • Method of creation: Incised
  • Type: Incised mark
  • Text: CT monogram under a crown
  • Method of creation: Painted in blue
  • Type: Factory mark

Inscription present: circular white paper label printed with FRANCIS DICKSON reserve in a broad black border

  • Text: .FRANCIS DICKSON
  • Location: On underside of base
  • Method of creation: Printed in black
  • Type: Label

References and bibliographic entries

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.184-1932
Primary reference Number: 140150
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Tuesday 13 June 2017 Last processed: Wednesday 13 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "The Rape of Helen" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/140150 Accessed: 2024-03-29 13:31:22

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/140150 |title=The Rape of Helen |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-03-29 13:31:22|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:

https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-140150

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