The Lottery
Medium
Soft-paste biscuit porcelain
Dimensions
confirmed: 5 15/16 × 7 1/8 × 5 1/8 in. (15.1 × 18.1 × 13 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
French, Sèvres
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Ella Morris de Peyster, 1957
Accession Number
58.60.11
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the whimsical world of *The Lottery*, a delightful soft-paste biscuit porcelain sculpture by the renowned Sèvres Manuf around 1757. by the celebrated Rococo François Boucher, famed for his playful and elegant scenes, and modeled by sculptor Etienne-Maurice Falconet, this petite group measures just under 6 inches tall. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Sculpture and Decorative Arts, it captures the essence of mid-18th-century French luxury. Biscuit porcelain, unglazed and matte, was a Sèvres specialty that allowed for lifelike textures resembling marble or skin—perfect for s...
About the Artist
Sèvres Manufactory|François Boucher|Etienne-Maurice Falconet · 1740–present
The Sèvres Manufactory, one of Europe's premier porcelain producers, was established in 1740 as the Manufacture de Vincennes under the patronage of Queen Marie Leszczyńska, who sought to rival Meissen and Chantilly porcelains with French soft-paste innovations. Initially a private venture, it relocated to Sèvres in 1756 in a purpose-built facility designed by architect Laurent Lindet near Madame d...