The Chastisement of Cupid
1770–80
Medium
Tin-glazed hard-paste porcelain
Dimensions
Height: 4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
Italian, Florence
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1906
Accession Number
06.388
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 18th century, the Doccia Porcelain Manuf in Florence, Italy—one of Europe's pioneering porcelain factories founded in 1735— exquisite small-scale sculptures like *The Chastisement of Cup* (1770–80). This tin-glazed hard-paste figurine, standing just 4¾ inches tall, captures a whimsical mythological moment: Cupid, the mischievous god of love, receiving a gentle scolding, likely from Venus, in a scene drawn from classical lore. Crafted during a period when Italian porcelain rivaled Meissen and Sèvres, it reflects the Rococo taste for playful, narrative vignettes adorning aristocratic...
About the Artist
Doccia Porcelain Manufactory · 1737–1896
The Doccia Porcelain Manufactory, founded in 1737 by Marquis Carlo Ginori near Florence, holds the distinction of being Italy's first hard-paste porcelain manufacturer and one of the few European porcelain enterprises to survive from the eighteenth century to the present day without interruption. Unlike most contemporary ventures — which depended on the patronage and protection of ruling courts — ...