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On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Figure

ca. 1740 (made)
Artist/Maker
Meissen Porcelain Factory (manufacturer)
Kändler, Johann Joachim (modeller)
Place of origin
Meissen (made)

In the 1740s the Meissen modeller J. J. Kaendler devised a wide range of porcelain figures for table decoration. The most popular were probably characters from the Italian Opera. This was a popular satirical travelling theatre, from which the miniature Punch and Judy developed in the 1800s. The colourful figure of Harlequin could be displayed in many postures and guises.

Object details

Categories
Ceramics
Porcelain
Figures & Decorative Ceramics
Object type
Figure
Materials and techniques
Hard-paste porcelain, painted in enamels and gilt
Hard Paste Porcelain
Painted
Gilt
Brief description
Figure of Harlequin, hard-paste porcelain painted in enamels and gilt, modelled by J.J. Kaendler, made by Meissen porcelain factory, Germany, about 1740
Physical description
Figure of Harlequin, hard-paste porcelain painted in enamels and gilt. Moustachio'd harlequin seated on a stump with a hat in his right hand and a lidded jug in his left. His tunic is painted in purple, turquoise and yellow diaper pattern, his trousers in red, yellow and black with white, he has green shoes.
Dimensions
  • Height: 16.5cm
  • Hat brim to cuff width: 12.8cm
Marks and inscriptions
'3066' (Inscribed in pencil)
Credit line
Given by Mrs O. J. Finney in memory of Oswald James Finney
Subjects depicted
Commedia Dell'arte
Harlequin
Summary
In the 1740s the Meissen modeller J. J. Kaendler devised a wide range of porcelain figures for table decoration. The most popular were probably characters from the Italian Opera. This was a popular satirical travelling theatre, from which the miniature Punch and Judy developed in the 1800s. The colourful figure of Harlequin could be displayed in many postures and guises.
Bibliographic references
  • Hildyard, Robin. European Ceramics. London : V&A Publications, 1999. 144 p., ill. ISBN 185177260X
  • Jansen, Reinhard, ed. Commedia Dell'Arte, Fest der Komödianten, Keramische Kostbarkeiten aus den Museen der Welt with essays by Ulrich Pietsch, Meredith Chilton, Reinhard Jansen, Samuel Wittwer etc. Catalogue of the exhibition held at Schloss Charlottenburg and the Bröhan Museum, 2001, together with separate summary in English and booklet of source prints. Stuttgart: Arnoldsche, 2001, 43 p., no. 14
  • Rückert, R. Meissener Porzellan 1710-1810 München: Hirmer, 1966, pp, 170, 217, Fig. 887.
Collection
Ceramics Collection
Accession number
C.11-1984

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Record createdNovember 28, 2002
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O70988/figure-kändler-johann-joachim/
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