Afrodite Charger

A Large Royal Copenhagen charger featuring Afrodite (Aphrodite) riding a swan. Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, and fertility, and one of the twelve major Olympian gods. Her Roman goddess counterpart is Venus. In ancient Greek art, the goddess Aphrodite was often depicted riding a swan, which symbolizes grace, music, divination, and good health. The swan was one of Aphrodite's sacred animals, along with the dove and sparrow. Her sacred plants included the rose and myrtle, both associated with love and courtship; perhaps it is myrtle that is she is holding here.

This charger is dated on the back 18/5 1920 (for May 18, 1920) and signed by the artist Svend Ring (1893-1933) who worked as a painter for Royal Copenhagen from 1919 to 2022. Ring was educated at the Kunstacademy (Art Academy) in Copenhagen. During his brief life (he died the day after he turned 40), he primarily painted on canvas; his time at Royal Copenhagen painting on porcelain was something of an anomaly. His paintings are characterized by accentuation of the line, gentleness of expression, and the use of soft, light-saturated colors, all of which are found in this portrayal of Afrodite.

This piece is unusual. The outlines of the main design (Afrodite riding a swan) are scratched into the surface of the porcelain (similar to graffito) and left unglazed (matte) whereas the rest of the charger is glazed.