King Vulture
Sculpture
ca. 1731 (made)
ca. 1731 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This extraordinary sculpture of a vulture is from the porcelain menagerie commissioned by Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony, for the 'Japanese Palace' in Dresden. This commission is one of the great landmarks in ceramic history. Nearly 600 life-size animals were planned, and at least 458 were made. Work began in 1730, only 20 years after Meissen had become the first European factory to make porcelain in the Chinese manner.
Augustus had specified that the animals should have their natural colours. Normally, this would be achieved by the use of enamels. However, the factory technicians thought it too risky to subject the largest models to the heat of an enamel firing. Instead they partly painted them in bright, unfired pigments. Such colours rarely survive, as they fade over time and have often been completely removed.
This King Vulture model exists in three different versions: some crouching, some with head down, and some standing upright. These variations were introduced by the 'repairer' (the skilled craftsman who assembled the separately moulded parts of the model prior to firing), probably in the interest of variety.
Augustus had specified that the animals should have their natural colours. Normally, this would be achieved by the use of enamels. However, the factory technicians thought it too risky to subject the largest models to the heat of an enamel firing. Instead they partly painted them in bright, unfired pigments. Such colours rarely survive, as they fade over time and have often been completely removed.
This King Vulture model exists in three different versions: some crouching, some with head down, and some standing upright. These variations were introduced by the 'repairer' (the skilled craftsman who assembled the separately moulded parts of the model prior to firing), probably in the interest of variety.
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Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | King Vulture (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Hard-paste porcelain, painted in unfired colours |
| Brief description | Sculpture, hard-paste porcelain, painted in unfired colours, of a King Vulture, made at the Meissen porcelain factory, Germany, ca.1731 |
| Physical description | Sculpture, hard-paste porcelain, painted in unfired colours, of a King Vulture. The vulture is positioned crouching on an oak tree stump, with head turned slightly to one side. Much of the original colouring has now discoloured, and only traces of the original bright red remain on the head. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | 'X' (the base bears the 'X' mark of the 'former' (factory craftsman) Andreas Shiefer.) |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Purchased with the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Art Fund, and the Friends of the V&A |
| Object history | Provenance. From the porcelain menagerie commissioned for the 'Japanese Palace', Dresden, by Augustus the Strong (1694/7-1733), Elector of Saxony and King of Poland. By repute given by a member of the Baring family to John Alexander, 4th Marquess of Bath (1831-1896), Longleat, and thence by descent (recorded in inventories of Longleat in 1869 as 'A white Dresden vulture', and in 1896 as '21 in. white porcelain vulture on a stump'). Sold Christies, London, 13 June 2002, lot 353. |
| Production | From the porcelain menagerie commissioned for the 'Japanese Palace', Dresden, by Augustus the Strong (1694/7-1733), Elector of Saxony and King of Poland. Probably modelled by Johann Joachim Kaendler (1706-1776), possibly in collaboration with Johann Gottlieb Kirchner (born 1706); painted in unfired pigments by the Dresden court lacquerer Christian Reinow; the base bears the 'X' mark of the 'former' (factory craftsman) Andreas Shiefer. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Association | |
| Summary | This extraordinary sculpture of a vulture is from the porcelain menagerie commissioned by Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony, for the 'Japanese Palace' in Dresden. This commission is one of the great landmarks in ceramic history. Nearly 600 life-size animals were planned, and at least 458 were made. Work began in 1730, only 20 years after Meissen had become the first European factory to make porcelain in the Chinese manner. Augustus had specified that the animals should have their natural colours. Normally, this would be achieved by the use of enamels. However, the factory technicians thought it too risky to subject the largest models to the heat of an enamel firing. Instead they partly painted them in bright, unfired pigments. Such colours rarely survive, as they fade over time and have often been completely removed. This King Vulture model exists in three different versions: some crouching, some with head down, and some standing upright. These variations were introduced by the 'repairer' (the skilled craftsman who assembled the separately moulded parts of the model prior to firing), probably in the interest of variety. |
| Bibliographic reference | Samuel Wittwer, The Gallery of Meissen Animals: Augustus the Strong's Menagerie for the Japanese Palace in Dresden (2006), passim and pp. 357-358. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.11-2003 |
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| Record created | July 23, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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