A Chelsea Bonbonnière, Gold Anchor period, circa 1756-69
Modelled in the white, this Chelsea bonbonnière takes the form of a flower-strewn grassy mound with three reclining figures: a boy caressing a dog, a girl weeping and another boy supporting a pet-size coffin. A trumpet, violin and sheet music lie on the ground amongst them.
Often mounted in gold, bonbonnières and snuff boxes were made for wealthy aristocrats to give as gifts and love tokens.
The British Museum has a slightly smaller example of this model decorated in colours, but also lacking the mount and lid (1887,0307,II.162).
Condition: The bonbonnière is beautifully modelled with exquisite detailing. This is emphasised by the absence of enamel decoration which often hides the details. No cracks or restoration. The mount and lid are lacking. From manufacture, there are clay tears, mostly visible to the interior, and evidence of the removal of kiln furniture from the rim. This comes in the form of a tiny glaze blob where the glaze fused with the stilts or spurs on which the item sat during the firing process. Three tiny chips to the rim may also have resulted from this, one of which appears to be partly glazed. These are typical and would normally have been covered by the gilt metal mount. Other manufacturing anomalies include minute specks of kiln dust, a blob of glaze, and a small area of glaze crawl to the interior.
Dimensions: Height (to top of tricorn hat) 6 cm; Length 6.2 cm
The Chelsea Porcelain Toys: Scent-bottles, Bonbonnieres, Etuis, Seals and Statuettes, made at the Chelsea Factory, 1745-1769 & Derby Chelsea, 1770-1784, G.E. Bryant (The Medici Society, 1925).
Chelsea Porcelain, Elizabeth Adams (The British Museum Press, 2001).