Porcelain Cherub Playing a Flute | Blue Crowned N Mark | Gilded Scroll Base
The crowned N beneath this small musician carries a history far older than the figure itself.
The crowned N is associated with the royal porcelain factory founded by Ferdinand IV at Naples in 1771. After the royal factory closed in 1806, the mark went on appearing on porcelain made by other manufacturers, in Italy and beyond, on figures in the same manner: cherubs, musicians and pastoral subjects, brightly painted and touched with gold. Its presence alone cannot establish a particular maker, date or place of manufacture. This figure belongs to that wider decorative tradition, though its maker remains unidentified.
The cherub sits on a white scrolled base, holding a brown flute across his body, his head inclined towards the instrument. His curled hair is painted a soft auburn, and his small wings are shaded from pale yellow to blue with brown feather markings. The flute has black ends and painted finger holes. One knee is raised and the other foot rests against the scrollwork. Gilt lines and dots follow the curves of the base, and a small yellow rosebud with green leaves is applied at the back.
Beneath the hollow base is a blue crowned N mark, with additional indistinct impressed and blue markings.
The figure is in excellent condition. There are no chips, cracks or restoration, and the painted and gilded decoration is intact.
Key Details
- Maker: Unidentified
- Subject: Seated winged cherub playing a flute
- Material: Glazed porcelain with painted decoration and gilding
- Mark: Blue crowned N, with additional indistinct impressed and blue markings
- Height: 10.5cm
- Weight: 102g
- Condition: Excellent
Collector Appeal
A small hand-painted figure with an expressive face, coloured wings, a delicate flute and a gilded scroll base. It is one of three different cherub figures from the same set, each listed separately, which can be collected together or on their own.
No porcelain figure has ever played a note, yet a good one can leave a room feeling as though the music has only just stopped.
