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A Goldfinch perching on a Tree Trunk: C.96-1950

Object information

Current Location: In storage

Titles

A Goldfinch perching on a Tree Trunk
Bird looking to the Left

Maker(s)

Factory: Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory
Gouyn, Charles (Probably)
Decorator: Duesbury, William (Perhaps)

Entities

Categories

Description

Soft-paste porcelain, slip-cast, and painted overglaze in purplish-blue, green, yellow, orange, dark pink, red, and black enamels.

Soft-paste porcelain, slip-cast, and painted overglaze in purplish-blue, green, yellow, orange, dark pink, red, and black enamels. The underside is unglazed and has a large circular ventilation hole in the centre. The tree trunk rises from a shallow five-sided base. It has a root visible at the back, and near the top, a broken off branch. The top divides into two branches. One of the bird's legs is between the branches, and the other rests on the one at the front. Its head is turned sharply to its left. Its plumage is painted in purplish-blue, green, yellow, red, and black. The tree trunk is decorated on the back with two small sprays of red flowers and leaves, a minute pink sprig at the bottom on the front, a large five-petalled dark pink flower with four leaves above that, and on the back, a large dark pink rose on a spray.

Notes

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

Measurements and weight

Height: 15.5 cm

Place(s) associated

  • London ⪼ England

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1950-09) by Dickson, W. D. (Frances Louisa), Mrs

Dating

18th Century, Mid
Circa 1749 CE - 1759 CE

Note

This bird belongs to the group of figures known as 'Girl-in-a-Swing' figures after the subject of one of the models. It was attributed to Derby when published in 1931, and was reattributed to Chelsea in 1960 by Lane and Charleston, see Documentation, 1962. Documentary evidence found in France suggests strongly that the group was produced by Charles Gouyn, whose address from 1735 to 1783 was at the Turk's Head, Bennet Street, St James's, London.

School or Style

Rococo

Components of the work

Decoration composed of enamels ( purplish-blue, green, yellow, orange, dark pink, red, and black)
Base Width 6.6 cm

Materials used in production

Lead-glaze
Soft-paste porcelain

Techniques used in production

Slip-casting : Soft-paste porcelain, slip-cast, and painted overglaze in purplish-blue, green, yellow, orange, dark pink, red, and black enamels.
Glazing (coating)

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.96-1950
Primary reference Number: 48029
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) "A Goldfinch perching on a Tree Trunk" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/48029 Accessed: 2024-11-22 00:04:16

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/48029 |title=A Goldfinch perching on a Tree Trunk |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-22 00:04:16|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

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https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-48029

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