Not on display

Harlequin

Figurine
20th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

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.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleHarlequin (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Glazed porcelain
Brief description
Polychrome glazed figurine of a Harlequin from the Commedia dell'arte, Meissen porcelain, 20th century
Physical description
Porcelain figure of Harlequin, wearing a multicoloured tunic and black and white geometrically-patterned trousers, a wide white collar and blue shoes. He holds a wide-brimmed hat in his left hand and raises his right hand above his head. Supported on an integral base, decorated with moulded flowers and with a pattern in gold.
Dimensions
  • Height: 24.0cm
  • From base width: 10.7cm
  • Of base height: 1.5cm
  • From base depth: 7cm
Credit line
Accepted by HM Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1996
Summary
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.
Collection
Accession number
S.964-1996

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Record createdJanuary 12, 2006
Record URL
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