Pastoral Group/Handkuss 'The Hand-kiss'
View Similar Items
Pastoral Group/Handkuss 'The Hand-kiss'
About the Item
- Creator:Meissen Porcelain (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 10.24 in (26 cm)Diameter: 5.91 in (15 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1838-1840
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Lantau, HK
- Reference Number:Seller: AACPF301stDibs: LU3936314305741
Meissen Porcelain
Meissen Porcelain (Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen) is one of the preeminent porcelain factories in Europe and was the first to produce true porcelain outside of Asia. It was established in 1710 under the auspices of King Augustus II “the Strong” of Saxony-Poland (1670–1733), a keen collector of Asian ceramics, particularly Ming porcelain.
In pursuing his passion, which he termed his “maladie de porcelaine,” Augustus spent vast sums, amassing some 20,000 pieces of Japanese and Chinese ceramics. These, along with examples of early Meissen, comprise the Porzellansammlung, or porcelain collection, of the Zwinger Palace, in Dresden.
The king was determined, however, to free the European market from its dependence on Asian imports and to give European artisans the freedom to create their own porcelain designs. To this end, he charged the scientist Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus and aspiring alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger with the task of using local materials to produce true, hard-paste porcelain (as opposed to the soft-paste variety European ceramists in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy and Spain had been producing since the late Renaissance). In 1709, the pair succeeded in doing just that, employing kaolin, or “china clay.” A year later, the Meissen factory was born.
In its first decades, Meissen mostly looked to Asian models, producing wares based on Japanese Kakiemon ceramics and pieces with Chinese-inflected decorations called chinoiserie. During the 1720s its painters drew inspiration from the works of Watteau, and the scenes of courtly life, fruits and flowers that adorned fashionable textiles and wallpaper. It was in this period that Meissen introduced its famous cobalt-blue crossed swords logo — derived from the arms of the Elector of Saxony as Arch-Marshal of the Holy Roman Empire — to distinguish its products from those of competing factories that were beginning to spring up around Europe.
By the 1730s, Meissen’s modelers and decorators had mastered the style of Asian ceramics, and Augustus encouraged them to develop a new, original aesthetic. The factory’s director, Count Heinrich von Brühl, used Johann Wilhelm Weinmann’s botanical drawings as the basis for a new line of wares with European-style surface decoration. The Blue Onion pattern (Zwiebelmuster), first produced in 1739, melded Asian and European influences, closely following patterns used in Chinese underglaze-blue porcelain, but replacing exotic flora and fruits with Western varieties (likely peaches and pomegranates, not onions) along with peonies and asters.
During the same period, head modeler Joachim Kändler (1706–75) began crafting delicate porcelain figures derived from the Italian commedia dell’arte. Often used as centerpieces on banquet tables and decorated to reflect the latest fashions in courtly dress for men and women, these figurines were popular in their day, and are still considered among Meissen’s most iconic creations. Kändler also created the Swan Service, which, with its complex low-relief surface design and minimal decoration is considered a masterpiece of Baroque ceramics.
The rise of Neoclassicism in the latter half of the 18th century forced Meissen to change artistic direction and begin producing monumental vases, clocks, chandeliers and candelabra. In the 20th century, Meissen added to its 18th-century repertoire decidedly modern designs, including ones in the Art Nouveau style. The 1920s saw the introduction of numerous animal figures, such as the popular sea otter (Fischotter), which graced an East German postage stamp in the 1960s. Starting in 1933, artistic freedom was limited at the factory under the Nazi regime, and after World War II, when the region became part of East Germany, it struggled to reconcile its elite past with the values of the Communist government. In 1969, however, new artistic director Karl Petermann reintroduced the early designs and fostered a new degree of artistic license. Meissen became one of the few companies to prosper in East Germany.
Owned by the State of Saxony since reunification, in 1990, Meissen continues to produce its classic designs together with new ones developed collaboratively with artists from all over the world. In addition, through its artCAMPUS program, the factory has invited distinguished ceramic artists, such as Chris Antemann and Arlene Shechet, to work in its studios in collaboration with its skilled modelers and painters. The resulting works of contemporary sculpture are inspired by Meissen’s rich and complex legacy.
Find a collection of authentic Meissen Porcelain on 1stDibs.
- 19th Century, Napoli Hand Painted Porcelain Figure Musical GroupLocated in Lantau, HKA group engaged in a musical scene 19th century marked (N with a crown) for Neapel Porcelain, hand painted. Shipping included Free and fast delivery door to door by air...Category
Antique 19th Century Italian Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Porcelain Figure Group Playing the Blind Man's Buff 19th Century, FrenchLocated in Lantau, HKPorcelain figure group playing the Blind man's buff Beautifully crafted artwork, hand painted 19th century, French. Dimensions: 50 x 30 x 30 cm (approximate).Category
Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsPorcelain
- Porcelain Figure Group of Venus and Muses Samson 19th Century, Sevres FrenchBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in Lantau, HKPorcelain figure group of Venus coronation and muses Samson after the style of Sevres, hand painted pastel colors, beautifully detailed artwork 19th century, French Marked Sevres Di...Category
Antique 19th Century French Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsPorcelain
- Hand Painted Porcelain, 2 Valets and a Couple, 19th Century, Vienna, AustriaLocated in Lantau, HKHand painted porcelain, 2 valets and a couple, 19th century, Vienna, Austria. Seduction scene with captured moment of emotions, beautifully detailed and hand painted porcelain Mark...Category
Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsPorcelain
- Porcelain Figurine of Mother and Childrens, Hand Painted, 18th Century, MeissenBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Lantau, HKA figurine of a mother and two children, the girl playing the flute German, Meissen, mid-18th century, marked for Meissen, porcelain, Germany with double crossed swords in under-glaz...Category
Antique Mid-18th Century German Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsPorcelain
- Porcelain Group, GermanyLocated in Lantau, HKLudwigsburg 1765-1770 Porcelain Mark for Ludwigsburg Measures: Height 28 cm Diameter 31 cm Price US$12,000.Category
Antique 18th Century European Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsPorcelain
$12,000
- Large Meissen Porcelain Group of Lovers Kissing in the Ocean on a RockBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in New York, NYA Large Meissen Porcelain group of lovers kissing in the Ocean on a Rock. This piece is truly spectacular in both quality and size. The pair of lovers a...Category
Antique 1870s German Aesthetic Movement Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen Porcelain Figural Group with a Musician Playing the DrumsBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Los Angeles, CAA lovely 19th century German Meissen porcelain figural group of a standing lady appealing to a standing gentleman and a musician sitting by their feet playing the drums. Late 19th century. Blue Meissen crossed sword...Category
Antique Late 19th Century German Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen Allegorical Group 'The Water', by M.V. Acier, Germany, Around 1860By Meissen Porcelain, Michel Victor Acier 1Located in Vienna, ATExcellent Meissen porcelain group of the 19th century: Nymph, covered only with a cloth, seated on a half shell floating on the water, holding the cloth at one end so that it forms ...Category
Antique Mid-19th Century German Baroque Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen Allegorical Group 'The Agriculture', by M.V. Acier, Germany, Ca 1870By Meissen Porcelain, Michel Victor Acier 1Located in Vienna, ATExcellent Meissen porcelain group of the 19th century. Very large depiction of the allegory of agriculture grouped around an apple tree: in the foreground an elderly man chopping wood...Category
Antique Late 19th Century German Baroque Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen Porcelain Revelry GroupsBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in New Orleans, LAThis charming pair of Meissen porcelain figures celebrates the essence of Revelry. First modeled by the renowned Johann Joachim Kändler on bases by Peter Reinicke, circa 1767, these ...Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Rococo Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen Art Nouveau Group 'The Air' by Paul Helmig, Germany Around 1900By Paul Helmig, Meissen PorcelainLocated in Vienna, ATVery rare and excellent Meissen porcelain group around 1900: Juno, the Roman goddess of the air (Greek Hera), as a young woman with her hair pinned up, covered only with a cloth, sit...Category
Antique Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain