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Children at a Peep Show, or Three Figures at a Raree Show: C.1-1965

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Object information

Current Location: In storage

Titles

Children at a Peep Show, or Three Figures at a Raree Show

Maker(s)

Factory: Derby Porcelain Factory
Proprietor: William Duesbury & Co.

Entities

Categories

Description

Soft-paste porcelain group of Children at a Peep Show, slip-cast, and painted overglaze in turquoise, green, pale yellow, flesh pink, pink, puce, red, brown, beige, grey, and black enamels, and gilt.

Soft-paste porcelain, slip-cast, and painted over lead-glaze in turquoise, green, pale yellow, flesh pink, pink, puce, red, brown, beige, grey, and black enamels, and gilt. The flat underside is unglazed except for a few small areas, and has a large circular ventilation hole off centre, and three large patch marks. The shallow irregularly shaped base has a rock on the left, and a tree stump on the right, which supports the base of the peep show box, which stands on four wooden legs. The boy showman stands on the right, leaving on the box on his right arm, and holding his left arm in front of him. A girl kneels on the rock, peering into the box. A basket of eggs (?) is on the rock in front of her. A little boy stands behind her.
The boy showman wears a yellow hat, a turquoise jacket with gold edging, pink sash, yellow breeches with a puce floral pattern, and black shoes with yellow bows. The girl wears a white blouse, a turquoise bodice with gold edging, a white skirt with puce flowers, a yellow over skirt, and black shoes. The small boy has a white shirt and pink beeches. All the figures have greyish-black hair and ruddy cheeks. The base is painted in pale green and brown, and has applied flowers and leaves scattered all over it. The flowers are red and yellow, blue and white, and yellow and white.

Notes

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

Legal notes

Given by Mrs W.D. Dickson

Measurements and weight

Height: 16.4 cm
Length: 17.3 cm

Place(s) associated

  • Derby ⪼ Derbyshire ⪼ England

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1965-01-14) by Dickson, W. D. (Frances Louisa), Mrs

Dating

18th Century, Late
George III
Circa 1775 CE - 1785 CE

Note

This is one of surprisingly few English porcelain figures derived from Sèvres models. The original of this group, La Lanterne Magique or La Curiosité, was modelled by Etienne-Maurice Falconet (1716-91; director of sculpture at Sèvres 1757-66) after part of the etching, La Lanterne Magique montrée à la Foire par le Savoyard, ou La Curiosité, also known as Foire de Campagne by C.N. Cochin fils (1715-90) after François Boucher (1703-77). It was mentioned in the factory's sales records in 1757. A pendant group, La Lotterie or Le Tourniquet presenté à la foire par le marchand de plaisirs, was modelled after another part of the same print. That too was reproduced at Derby.The 'Group of three Fgures at a Raree Show' was no. 94 in Haslam's price list of Derby figures.

School or Style

Rococo

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Decoration composed of enamels ( turquoise, green, pale yellow, flesh pink, pink, puce, red, brown, beige, grey, and black) gold

Materials used in production

presumed lead Lead-glaze
Soft-paste porcelain

Techniques used in production

Slip-casting : Soft-paste porcelain, slip-cast, and painted overglaze in turquoise, green, pale yellow, flesh pink, pink, puce, red, brown, beige, grey, and black enamels, and gilt
Glazing (coating)

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: 94
  • Location: Underside of base
  • Method of creation: Incised
  • Type: Mark

Inscription present: circular printed with a black border with lettering in reserve

  • Text: FRANCES L. DICKSON
  • Type: Label

References and bibliographic entries

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.1-1965
Primary reference Number: 42704
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Monday 18 December 2023 Last processed: Monday 18 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) "Children at a Peep Show, or Three Figures at a Raree Show" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/42704 Accessed: 2024-12-18 13:04:24

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/42704 |title=Children at a Peep Show, or Three Figures at a Raree Show |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-12-18 13:04:24|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-42704

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    <figure class="figure">
        <img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/aa/aa2/C_1_1965_281_29.jpg"
        alt="Children at a Peep Show, or Three Figures at a  Raree Show"
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        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Children at a Peep Show, or Three Figures at a  Raree Show</figcaption>
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