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Gallery Text

In the 18th century, porcelain was the most modern decoration because it had so recently been made for the first time in Europe. This new material was used to create objects dealing with contemporary popular themes, such as fashionable life and love. Earlier experiments in making “true” porcelain had failed, and vessels continued to be made of earthenware, like the punch bowl in an adjacent gallery (2240). Creating “true,” or hard-paste, porcelain out of feldspar and quartz became an obsession for European monarchs in their quest to compete with imported Chinese works and, later, with one another as they set up various nationalized porcelain factories.

In Love Restrained by the Graces, cupid figures are encircled by and intertwined with nude females symbolizing beauty and joy. Such a work could evoke pleasing associations during the consumption of sweets at the end of a meal. While enjoying dessert, a European male viewer might contemplate the ideal of self-control in the face of desire, to say nothing of the industrial and artistic dominance over a rival state suggested by such fine wares.

For a special display of Chinese and Korean porcelain, visit Gallery 3620. See more 18th-century German porcelain in an installation designed by contemporary artist Arlene Shechet in Gallery 1510.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
BR64.75
People
Konrad Linck (1730 - 1793)
Manufactured by Frankenthal Porcelain Manufactory, German (1755 - 1799)
Title
Love Restrained by the Graces
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
sculpture, figurine
Date
possibly 1763-1777
Places
Creation Place: Europe, Germany, Frankenthal
Culture
German
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/222576

Location

Location
Level 2, Room 2220, European and American Art, 17th–19th century, Rococo and Neoclassicism in the Eighteenth Century
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Physical Descriptions

Medium
Hard-paste porcelain with polychrome enamel decoration
Dimensions
20.8 x 24 cm (8 3/16 x 9 7/16 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • manufacturer's mark: Underglaze blue: [Frankenthal crown markc over CT ] // AB

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Mr. & Mrs. Edward M. Pflueger, Gift to HUAM, 1964.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edward M. Pflueger
Accession Year
1964
Object Number
BR64.75
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Exhibition History

  • 32Q: 2220 18th-19th Century, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 07/11/2022 - 01/01/2050

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu