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On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Figure

ca. 1757 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This figure of a Chinese musician is one of a group of seventeen themed figures designed as table decoration by the great modeller at the Nymphenburg factory, Franz Anton Bustelli. The group includes a priest and various children and adult attendants, some playing musical instruments or singing, others bowing down in worship and all positioned around the central small figure of a idol or 'pagod' seated on a tall pedestal.

Unfortunately, little is known about Bustelli himself. He arrived at the Nymphenburg factory in Bavaria in 1754 and worked there until he died in 1763. During this time he produced about 150 figures and his inspired work is much admired for its graceful modelling with its sense of lightness and movement particularly in tune with the Rococo style of the period.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Hard-paste porcelain
Physical description
White figure of a Chinese man in hard-paste porcelain, of elongated shape dressed in long flowing robes with wide tapering sleeves and a pointed hat, standing playing a set of connected bells held in his left hand, his striking stick lacking, set on a flat scroll-edged base with his right foot resting on a rock.
Style
Subjects depicted
Summary
This figure of a Chinese musician is one of a group of seventeen themed figures designed as table decoration by the great modeller at the Nymphenburg factory, Franz Anton Bustelli. The group includes a priest and various children and adult attendants, some playing musical instruments or singing, others bowing down in worship and all positioned around the central small figure of a idol or 'pagod' seated on a tall pedestal.

Unfortunately, little is known about Bustelli himself. He arrived at the Nymphenburg factory in Bavaria in 1754 and worked there until he died in 1763. During this time he produced about 150 figures and his inspired work is much admired for its graceful modelling with its sense of lightness and movement particularly in tune with the Rococo style of the period.
Bibliographic references
  • Ziffer, Alfred. Nymphenburger Porezellan Stuttgart: Arnoldsche, 1997. No. 76, p. 54. Catalogue of the Bäuml Collection exhibited at the Nymphenburg Palace, Munich
  • Eikelmann, Renate (ed). Bustelli, Nymphenburger Porzellanfiguren des Rokoko Includes essays by Katharina Hantschmann, Alfred Ziffer, Utta Bach, Peter Volk etc. Munich: C. H. Beck, 2004. Catalogue of exhibition held at the Bayerishces Nationalmuseum, Munich, November 2004- March 2005. pp 242-244 and pp. 465-466, no. 129
Collection
Accession number
C.283-1923

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Record createdApril 7, 2009
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