“Stop and admire this intricate porcelain bracket, where a mischievous cherub clings beneath a reclining figure. Its delicate colors and classical design offer a glimpse into Victorian decorative arts.”
This decorative bracket, made from colored Parian porcelain, features a dramatic, almost theatrical scene. A winged cherub, with a quiver of arrows slung across his back, clings precariously to the underside of the bracket, his gaze directed upwards. Above him, a larger, more mature figure, possibly a nymph or goddess, reclines amidst swirling drapery and foliage, seemingly oblivious to the cherub's presence. The figures are rendered with a soft, almost painterly quality, enhanced by the subtle tints of the porcelain, which give the piece a delicate, ethereal glow. This work, created in 1877, reflects the Victorian era's fascination with classical mythology and allegorical figures, often reinterpreted with a romantic or sentimental flair for domestic adornment. The intricate modeling showcases the capabilities of Parian porcelain, a popular material for its resemblance to marble.
- Artist
- Isaac Broome
- Date
- 1877
- Medium
- colored parian porcelain
- Location
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Dimensions
- 12 1/2 × 7 × 6 1/2 in. (31.8 × 17.8 × 16.5 cm)
- Collection
- The American Wing
- Culture
- American
- Credit line
- Gift of Jay and Emma Lewis, 2013
What to Notice
Five details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.

The cherub's tiny, feathered wings and the quiver of arrows on his back.
The delicate pink and blue tints in the porcelain, especially in the drapery.
The way the cherub's fingers grip the bracket's edge.
The contrasting textures between the smooth skin and the ruffled fabric.
1 more detail is waiting.
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Isaac Broome
1836–1922 · United StatesCanadian-born sculptor who shaped America's Centennial with patriotic porcelain busts and decorative reliefs.
Further Works by Broome
Pastoral Vase
1871 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Broadside
1873 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
George Washington
1873 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Catcher
1875 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Bust of Benjamin Franklin
1876 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Covered Sugar Bowl
1876 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Tile
1884 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Bust of Cleopatra
1914 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
More works to explore
Beyond Broome: works from the same years.
Same era · 1860s–1890s
Cart with Red and White Ox
Vincent van Gogh · 1884 · Kröller-Müller Museum
Same era · 1860s–1890s
Paris Street; Rainy Day
Kawabata Gyokushō · 1877 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1860s–1890s
Chariot Race
Léon-Victor Dupré · 1876 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1860s–1890s
A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884
Okada Saburosuke · 1884 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1860s–1890s
Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare
Claude Monet · 1877 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1860s–1890s
Beata Beatrix
Dante Gabriel Rossetti · 1877 · Birmingham Museums Trust
Same era · 1860s–1890s
Portrait after a Costume Ball (Portrait of Madame Dietz-Monnin)
Edgar Degas · 1877 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1860s–1890s
The Laundress
Pierre-Auguste Renoir · 1877 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1860s–1890s
The Man with the Dog
Édouard Manet · 1877 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1860s–1890s
Woman at Her Toilette
Berthe Morisot · 1877 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1860s–1890s
Fan Mount: The Cabbage Gatherers
Camille Pissarro · 1878 · Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1860s–1890s
View of Marly-le-Roi from Coeur-Volant
Alfred Sisley · 1876 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
