Gardner Manufactory in Moscow "Putto with Dolphin" porcelain inkwell, Russia circa 1815/20

Representing a seated putto in profile, his bare torso in brilliant white, held by a golden shoulder strap, he rides a dolphin whose curled tail forms a handle, the body of the cetacean is entirely golden, the scales and fins being highlighted in the modeling. In front of the putto, a striated and spiraled shell serves as an inkwell. At the back, a golden cylindrical quiver serves as a pen holder. The whole rests on an oval base with a gold background, molded and encircled with an engraved decoration of a garland of foliage in relief.

Dimensions: High. 14.5 cm - Length. 11cm,
Condition(s): VERY GOOD CONDITION - Tiny repair on one finger (Invisible to the eye),
Period: CIRCA 1815 / 1820.

This neoclassical inkwell is inspired by the marine Thiasos (child of Venus / Cupid riding a dolphin), common in the decorative arts of the Empire years in Russia. The white & gold combination and the precise modeling of the dolphin refer to the high-end productions of the Gardner factory.

Comparable Works: An identical copy, signed Gardner, went on sale at Couteau-Bégarie on May 23, 2013. Another copy is kept in Saint Petersburg, at the House-Museum of the writer Pushkin.