Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
1955 1356misc |
Object Name |
Plate |
Title |
Balloon Plate |
Artist |
Siquier, J. |
Date |
1835 |
Description |
Light blue plate with wavy edged, gold trimmed rim, with decorative gold stalks of wheat on the lip of the plate. Central image on plate well is a hot-air balloon floating through a peach and blue sky above several pine trees and a building roof. The balloon is striped in pink, blue, and yellow, with four oars or wings at bottom. On banner at top: "Premiere expérience de Mr. Blanchard au Champ-de-Mars / accompagné de dom Pech bénédictin le 2 Mars 1784." Signed, "J. Siquier 1835" at bottom. On reverse, crown symbol and X mark. |
Label |
This plate depicts an early experiment with ballooning, when Jean-Pierre Blanchard made his first ascension in a hydrogen gas balloon on 2 March 1784 from the Champ de Mars in Paris. The image shows the balloon equipped with four oars or wings intended for navigation, and the inscription mentions a Benedictine father named Pesch. The ascension, however, did not go as planned. A stranger tried to accompany Blanchard and Pesch; when rebuffed, he angrily drew his sword and jumped into the basket, cutting the rigging, breaking the wings, and slightly wounding Blanchard. After hasty repairs to the balloon, Blanchard flew alone, without the wings (which later proved to be nearly useless). The daring ascensions of the 1780s gripped the Parisian public, and “balloon mania” soon spread throughout Europe and America, with balloons portrayed widely in prints and the decorative arts. This plate, most likely part of a larger set (see also 1955 1355misc), is a typical example of popular balloon imagery. Benjamin Franklin, serving as American ambassador to France, observed at least one of the first balloon flights from the terrace of his home outside Paris. The Franklin family also played a role in another significant event in the history of flight. On 7 January 1785, Blanchard made the first cross-Channel balloon journey from Dover, England, to Calais, France, delivering the first letter carried by air. Franklin’s son William wrote that letter (now housed at the APS Library) to his son William Temple Franklin, who was serving with his grandfather in Paris. |
Material |
Porcelain |
Dimensions |
D-1 Dia-9.625 inches |
Credit line |
American Philosophical Society |
Search Terms |
18th century eighteenth century 19th century nineteenth century science France French Tableware commemorative |