Topic: ID Help please - Pinchbeck

[tropdevin]

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The Pinchbeck weight shown below has a very detailed scene of a what I take to be a man arriving in a village to a welcoming reception.  He appears to be riding upon a polled cow or bull rather than a horse, and looks to me a little Spanish in his hair/clothing. The whole scene is set on a theatrical stage.  Under the stage a rather ferocious horned bull is looking out....

Can anyone more versed in classical art or theatre shed any light on the origins of the scene? These Pinchbeck designs were not originals - they were copies of relatively well known works of their day.

Alan

[Frank]

Images of the symbology top and bottom might prove useful.

[incazzatonero]

Hi Alan.
could you send me more and better pics to:

amoretti AT web DOT de

regards
lothar

Mod: email adress anti-spammed

[alexander]

Hi, I just came into a Pinchbeck of my own and while researching I found a paperweight mentioned in Collectors Weekly online
that appears to have an identical subject to yours. It doesn't look to be a clone but very very similar.

Don't know if it will help at all but it does hint at this scene being popular.

http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/pinchbeck-but-precious-paperweights/ - illustration IV, a little past halway down the page.

[tropdevin]

Hi Alexander

Thanks - clearly the same design. As far as I know, all these Pinchbeck weights were made from master moulds, so multiple copies could be (and were) made. The finishing was by hand, so there could be slight variations in depth of relief and impression of detail between copies of the same design - a bit like variations in Perthshire or Whitefriars limited edition paperweights.

I think the article is correct about these designs often being copies of famous paintings - I originally hoped someone was going to tell me which one mine was copied from!

Alan

[Frank]

Images of the symbology top and bottom might prove useful.

[tropdevin]

Hi Frank

I've attempted pictures of the symbology, but it is hard to photograph.  The top part appears to include a tankard and a grape vine, the lower part has an animal (?devil) looking out from under the stage. Click on images to enlarge them.

Alan

top   bottom

[alexander]

This kind of reminds me of an operatic or theatrical setting - could it be from a popular opera or play?

[jamalpa36]

Not that it is important but rather than grapevine I think the top design is a hop vine with hops. The leaves are right and the rose looking flowers could be hops.

Roy

[keith]

Looking at the main picture the 'bloke' on the cow/bull has his hand on someones head (blessing?) and on the other side a woman appears to be kissing his hand,bit religious/Papal maybe?Keith.