Sphinx, one of a pair

Date1748-1751

Artist/Maker Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory 1745-1769

MediumSoft-paste porcelain

DimensionsH: 4 9/16"; Base: 5 7/8" X 3 5/16"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1962-57,2

DescriptionWhite figure of a sphinx with head (turned slightly to the left) and bust of young woman with one lock of hair falling behind and one in front of semi-draped shoulders; the body of a lion couchant with tasseled blanket; rectangular base.

Triangle or raised anchor period.Label TextThese figures are believed to represent the popular actress of the day, Peg Woffington (1718-1760). A number of unmarked models with a transitional or early raised anchor paste survive. Other Chelsea sphinxes are marked with triangle and raised anchor marks. Bow models of sphinxes, dating a few years later, are recorded in a more rococo form; a painting by Arthur Pound has been suggested as their design source. The inspiration for the earlier Chelsea models has not been substantiated, although it may have been an engraving of a sphinx by J. F. Blondel.Inscription(s)NoMark(s)NoProvenanceEx coll: M.G. Kaufman, Chicago