Bourdaloue (lady's chamber pot) with Commedia dell'arte Scene
Manufacturer
Meissen Porcelain Manufactory
(German, founded 1710)
CultureGerman
OriginMeissen, Dresden, Germany
PeriodAugustus III (1733-1763)
Datec.1729-1731
Mediumhard-paste porcelain, enamel, gold, lustre, press moulded, and thrown.
DimensionsOverall: 7.9 × 21.3 × 12 cm (3 1/8 × 8 3/8 × 4 3/4 in.)
MarkingsCrossed swords in overglaze cobalt blue enamel
DescriptionMeissen bourdaloue sporting a collar of gilt Laud-und-Bandelwerk and bombe sides tapering towards a circular gilded foot ring. The loop handle with gilded shell thumbpiece.
One panel shows Columbine seated in a purple dress with a green bodice picking a bunch of cherries from a bowl offered to her by her kneeling lover who is dressed in a puce tunic and iron-red knickerbockers. Behind them stands a mocking Harlequin in a chequered dark blue suit with yellow trimmings and a round black hat. His left foot rests up against a stone wall with a Grecian urn. A rural landscape stretches out into the distance.
The other panel is a stage setting, with Columbine in a puce dress with white sleeves and a green bodice and white stockings seated in a sofa with her head turned towards Harlequin sitting beside her, and with her left hand resting in his right. Her neighbour wears a puce and yellow chequered shirt and holds a bourdaloue in his left hand. Behind them stands Pedrolino in a light green suit with a white ruff and a black hat leaning on the back of the sofa and pointing at the bourdalou. Posing before this trio with outstretched hands is Scaramouche in a black tunic with a white collar, black breeches and pleated cap. Above them hang heavy puce curtains with a background of formal court gardens.
Between the cartouches are large sprays of brilliant Kakiemon flowers.
The inside reserve depicts a wood-paneled bedroom with a female nude in an Arabic-style veiled head-dress reclining amongst fine white drapes on a bed with a puce canopy. She looks toward the curtained doorway through which a peeping courtier in blue court dress is about to enter.
One panel shows Columbine seated in a purple dress with a green bodice picking a bunch of cherries from a bowl offered to her by her kneeling lover who is dressed in a puce tunic and iron-red knickerbockers. Behind them stands a mocking Harlequin in a chequered dark blue suit with yellow trimmings and a round black hat. His left foot rests up against a stone wall with a Grecian urn. A rural landscape stretches out into the distance.
The other panel is a stage setting, with Columbine in a puce dress with white sleeves and a green bodice and white stockings seated in a sofa with her head turned towards Harlequin sitting beside her, and with her left hand resting in his right. Her neighbour wears a puce and yellow chequered shirt and holds a bourdaloue in his left hand. Behind them stands Pedrolino in a light green suit with a white ruff and a black hat leaning on the back of the sofa and pointing at the bourdalou. Posing before this trio with outstretched hands is Scaramouche in a black tunic with a white collar, black breeches and pleated cap. Above them hang heavy puce curtains with a background of formal court gardens.
Between the cartouches are large sprays of brilliant Kakiemon flowers.
The inside reserve depicts a wood-paneled bedroom with a female nude in an Arabic-style veiled head-dress reclining amongst fine white drapes on a bed with a puce canopy. She looks toward the curtained doorway through which a peeping courtier in blue court dress is about to enter.
Credit LineGift of George and Helen Gardiner
Object numberG83.1.624
Classifications
European CeramicsSub-classification
German PorcelainStatus
Not on view
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