Figure of a Girl
c. 1790
Medium
Hard-paste porcelain, polychrome enamels, and gilding
Dimensions
H.: 13.7 cm (5 3/8 in.)
Classification
sculpture
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
20223
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
Created around 1790 by the Limbach Porcelain Factory, this delicate *Figure of a Girl* exemplifies the refined decorative arts of late eighteenth-century. Standing just over five inches tall, the sculpture was designed as a charming tabletop ornament, reflecting the period’s taste for elegant, intimate objects that brought beauty into domestic spaces. Produced in hard-paste porcelain with vibrant polychrome enamels and delicate gilding, it showcases the technical mastery achieved by European factories competing with Asian imports. Hard-paste porcelain, once a closely guarded secret, allowed a...