The Roman Charity
ca. 1769
Medium
Soft-paste porcelain
Dimensions
16 1/2 × 13 in. (41.9 × 33 cm)
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
64.101.521
Tags
Art Historical Context
**The Roman Charity** *Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory, ca. 1769* Soft-paste porcelain, ½ × 13 in. (41.9 × 33 cm) Step into the world of 18th-century porcelain with *The Roman Charity*, a delicate soft-paste porcelain group from the renowned Chelsea Porcelain Manuf. This evocative sculpture captures a poignant classical scene inspired by the ancient Roman tale of filial piety: a devoted daughter nursing her imprisoned father, surrounded by elements like flowers that add a touch of naturalistic elegance. The tags—prisoners, men, women, and flowers—highlight its dramatic narrative of human ...
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...