Ceramic

This figurine of Cucurucu was produced by the Meissen factory in the Dresden area of Germany, established in 1706 and famous for being the first European factory to discover the secret of producing hard-paste porcelain. It was modelled after a Johann Kaendler figure of the 1740s. Kaendler was the talented sculptor who worked for Meissen specialising in figures, groups, and wonderfully modelled wreaths of flowers, clusters of fruit and swinging cupids, executed in the round.

Kaendler (1706-1775) modelled this figure after an etching by Jacques Callot (1592-1635) from a series of prints entitled Balli di Sfessania, c.1622 showing dances known as the 'sfessania' which were characterised by violent contortions and gesticulations. This depicts the Commedia dell'Arte characters Razullo and Cucurucu in the foreground with a performance on stage behind them. Razullo plays on a long-necked stringed instrument while Cucurucu dances. Jacques Callot was a French artist who recorded theatrical events at the Medici Court in Florence. The museum owns the pair to this figure, that of Razullo (S.887-1981).