Peacock (one of a pair)
ca. 1755–58
Medium
Soft-paste porcelain decorated in polychrome enamels
Dimensions
Overall (confirmed): 18 3/4 × 10 3/4 × 6 13/16 in., 10 lb. (47.6 × 27.3 × 17.3 cm, 4.5 kg)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
British, Chelsea
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Irwin Untermyer, 1964
Accession Number
64.101.481
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the opulent world of 18-century British decorative arts with this stunning *Peacock (one of a pair)* the Chelsea Porcelain Manactory, crafted around 1755–58. nearly 19 inches tall, this majestic bird is fashioned from soft-paste porcelain delicate, creamy material that was England's innovative answer to the prized Chinese hard-paste porcelain. Vibrantly decorated in polychrome enamels it captures the peacock's iridescent feathers and surrounding leaves with exquisite detail, embodying the rococo taste for lavish, naturalistic ornamentation favored by the aristocracy. Chelsea Porcela...
About the Artist
Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory · 1744–1784
**Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory** The Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory, Britain's pioneering porcelain enterprise, was founded around 1743 in Chelsea, London, by two Huguenot silversmiths: Nicholas Sprimont from Liège and Charles Gouyn. Sprimont, trained in Paris as a goldsmith before immigrating to England, brought his expertise in luxury metalwork to the venture, while Gouyn handled early sales th...