IPBA Welcome the 7,000th Item in the IPBA Virtual Museum!

Porcelain bottle depicts Cupid at his grinder in front of a fountain with a mask face.  At the bottom is a black spotted dog with his red collar.  The porcelain bottle and stopper with brass fittings has a tiny figural swan for the stopper.  The bottom of the bottle has a full blown rose amid its leaves in bright colors.  Cupid has his quiver with arrows slung over his shoulder.  His left hand holds the black arrow to the grindstone.

The bottle has the motto “L’Aprete Mon Dard” (Sharpening my sting).  The motto is based on the idea that cupid has sharp darts or arrows that pierce the heart to bring love.  Cupid sits at his pedal driven grinder complete with wheels and water feed.  There are amazing hand painted details on this tiny porcelain  bottle at under 3″ in height.  Check out the individual strands of hair on cupid’s head.

It is likely that this example is a bit later than the Metropolitan Museum example discussed below.   Here the illustrated example has only one complete wing; the other is partially broken.

See the Irwin Untermyer collection in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York for a similar example minus the motto. Called there “Cupid at the Grindstone”.  There it is identified as Saint James Factory, England from 1750.