France / c.1740–45
Figure Seated on a Lion
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Figure Seated on a Lion as ceramic (France · c.1740–45).
The duke of Bourbon’s menagerie was recorded in the dedication to Jean-Antoine Fraisse’s Livre de Desseins Chinois (Book of Chinese Drawings), a book that documented the decoration on the duke’s collection of Asian porcelain, lacquer, and textiles.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this ceramic as Tin-glazed soft-paste porcelain with enamel decoration and credits Chantilly Porcelain Factory (French).
The museum's collection notes: Exotic animals were highly coveted symbols of status and wealth. The practice of housing them in a centralized complex was popularized by French King Louis XIV’s menagerie at Versailles. This lion, along with other animal figurines produced at the factory, may have been modeled after living examples housed in the menagerie established by Louis Henri, duke of Bourbon, prince of Condé, and founder of the Chantilly porcelain factory.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtFigure Seated on a LionOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.