This figurine 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. Porcelain originated in China around the 7th century, but it wasn't until the early 18th century that a young chemist, Johann Frederick Bottger, managed to duplicate the recipe for white porcelain on the orders of Augustus, King of Poland, who established the Meissen factory.

The figurine represents Harlequin, a character from the Italian knockabout comedy called the Commedia dell'Arte, or 'artistic comedy'. This was the popular improvised type of comedy which flourished in Italy from the 16th to the 18th centuries and had an impact on theatre throughout Europe, especially France. Commedia plays were acted along pre-arranged scenarios but relied on the performers' ability for improvisation and ensured their popularity with a mixture of knockabout comedy, acrobatic leaping and romantic interest. During the 18th century the Meissen factory produced some very fine porcelain figures of Commedia dell'Arte characters modelled by Johann Kaendler, and this is in the tradition of those figures.