Doe and Hope

Description

The scarce group of five mixed funghi in biscuit, each exquisitely executed with polychrome decoration, naturalistically modelled and hand chiselled surviving from the late nineteenth century.

Generally in very good condition each example has expected wear, though very minimal, with one or two very slight frits bit nothing of a serious nature.

Stone fruit and vegetables were first made in the Victorian days, and became very popular after WWII, and is still made today but now, mostly in the far east. Many of the best examples were Italian and much of the prized Italian fruit is produced in the Carrara area of Italy where the famous quarries used by Michelangelo are found.

After the modelling, which is superb here, the pieces are heated in a kiln oven. After, a coating of wax is applied and pigments and dyes are then layered on the warm wax with minerals and natural dyes used as pigments. The attention to detail to these examples is very high even down to the soiled tips to the stalks.

As though they have just been foraged this very morning this fabulous group are whimsically mercurial elements try placing in a sycamore dairy bowl or scattering over an open shelf in the kitchen.