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QA-2026-073
A Pair of Derby Porcelain Putti Holding Flower Baskets, circa 1770–1780
A pair of Derby porcelain putti, made around 1770–1780. Each carries a basket of flowers and wears a floral wreath, a spring subject.
- Every mark photographed and transcribed below
- Condition stated in full, including what is wrong with it
- Posted insured and tracked from the Netherlands
- Return within 14 days if it is not as described
About this piece
Each putto carries a basket of flowers and wears a floral wreath. The faces are softly modelled, the hair curls, and the drapery is pink. Individually coloured flowers and green foliage rise beside the figures from rounded bases.
The baskets and wreaths evoke spring, a familiar subject in porcelain figures of the seasons. The two figures differ in small details of hand-painted decoration, so each has its own character.
They are small in scale and belong to the eighteenth-century taste for decorative figures inspired by nature and allegory. The pair shows wear and some losses, described under condition.
Condition
- Small losses on the petals and leaves of the flowers in the basket of one figure.
- Fingers of one hand show minor damage.
- Small chip with brown staining at the back of the base of one figure.
- Brown staining and small pits in the glaze on the underside of the bases
- A fine dark line inside the hollow of one base that does not go outward.
- No restorations.
Details
| Object | Pair of porcelain putti figures, each holding a basket of flowers |
|---|---|
| Material | Porcelain |
| Maker | Derby |
| Period | Circa 1770–1780 |
| Height | 11 cm (5.5") |
| Width | 4cm (1.57") |
| Condition | Good, with some chips and small losses |
Putti and the seasons in porcelain
These figures belong to the eighteenth-century taste for decorative figures inspired by nature and allegory. Flower baskets and wreaths evoke spring, a familiar subject in porcelain representations of the seasons. Figures like these brought colour and playful elegance to fashionable interiors, and they keep the intimate scale of Georgian decorative porcelain.
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