Deer attacked by hounds

Deer attacked by hounds A bisque group, one of five from a decorative tableware set, a so-called surtout de table depicting hunting scenes. These are copies of the Sèvres bisques modelled by Pierre Blondeau in 1752 and modelled after the compositions of Jean-Baptiste Oudry (1686-1755); they were made by Samson Ceramics in Paris at the end of the 19th c. This group was a gift of the Kent county for Elżbieta Potocka in connection with their visit to Łańcut (Wystawa biskwitów ze zbiorów Muzeum-Zamku w Łańcucie, Muzeum Narodowego w Warszawie z Oddziałem w Wilanowie, Muzeum Narodowego w Krakowie, Muzeum Narodowego w Poznaniu oraz osób prywatnych, Łańcut, 1973, pp. 52-56; information on bisques from Łańcut by Irena Radomska). The above bisque is the central (largest) group in a set of realistic hunting scenes. In the middle of the composition, there is a deer with its head turned to the left jumping over a lying hound. The other two dogs are attacking it. The oval base imitates undergrowth with clumps of lichens and an old tree trunk. The bisque is not complete: the deer is missing its antlers; the second dog lying beneath the deer's legs and the attacking dog supported by the tree trunk are also missing.