Tickets
English
DonateMembership
Tickets

The Music Lesson

Modeler Joseph Willems Flemish
After two engravings by François Boucher French
ca. 1765
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 199
This large and ambitious figure group is one of the most important pieces of porcelain sculpture made at the Chelsea factory, England's premier ceramic manufactory in the mid-eighteenth century. The composition of a shepherd boy teaching a shepherdess to play the flute was derived from an engraving after a work by the French artist Francois Boucher (1703–1770). The skilled porcelain modeler at Chelsea, Joseph Willems (1716–1766), was responsible for realizing the composition in three dimensions.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Music Lesson
  • Factory: Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory (British, 1745–1784, Gold Anchor Period, 1759–69)
  • Modeler: Joseph Willems (Flemish, 1716–1766)
  • Artist: After two engravings by François Boucher (French, Paris 1703–1770 Paris)
  • Date: ca. 1765
  • Culture: British, Chelsea
  • Medium: Soft-paste porcelain
  • Dimensions: Overall (confirmed): 15 3/8 × 12 1/4 × 8 3/4 in., 22 lb. (39.1 × 31.1 × 22.2 cm, 10 kg)
  • Classification: Ceramics-Porcelain
  • Credit Line: Gift of Irwin Untermyer, 1964f
  • Object Number: 64.101.519
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Vase (one of a pair)
Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory (British, 1744–1784)
ca. 1762
Vase (one of a pair)
Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory (British, 1744–1784)
ca. 1762
The Flute Lesson
Vincennes Manufactory (French, ca. 1740–1756)
ca. 1752
Snuffbox, Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory British, Soft-paste porcelain, hardstone, gilt, British, Chelsea
Snuffbox
Factory Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory
ca. 1755–60
Division Viol, Richard Meares British, Spruce, ebony, maple, British
Division Viol
labeled Richard Meares
ca. 1680

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.