Rare groupe en porcelaine de Meissen répresentant Pantalon et Colombine, circa 1738

A rare Meissen group of Pantalone and Columbine, circa 1738

Modelled by J.J. Kaendler, Columbine seated holding a mask in her right hand and caressing the beard of Pantalone with her left, wearing a gilt-edged white tricorn on a black bonnet with turquoise bow, a puce-lined yellow cloak, iron-red bodice with turquoise bows, yellow sash, black dress decorated with indianische Blumen and yellow shoes, Pantalone wearing a black skullcap, long iron-red-lined grey coat, gilt-edged green tunic, puce breeches with turquoise bows, a dagger from a yellow sash at his waist and yellow shoes, the base applied with leaves and flowers, 16.4cm high, traces of blue crossed swords mark on underside of base (very minor restoration)
Footnotes:
Provenance:
Baroness Gabrielle Bentinck-Thyssen Collection, sold Sotheby's London, 4 June 1996, lot 94

Kaendler originally modelled a group of Pantalone and a woman - probably Columbine - around 1736 (which is not mentioned in his work records). He remodelled the group twice, creating this version in 1738 and another in 1741. This group is listed in his work records in August 1738: 'Dem Pantaleon Nebst seinem bey sich habenden Frauen Zimmer Verneuert und solches Groppgen zum abformen aufs Neue tüchtig gemacht, Weiln Vorige Forme nach öfftern gebrauch Wandelbar Worden' [Pantalone with a figure of a lady renewed and well-made as new for moulding].

A similar group is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Irwin Untermyer 1964, inv. no. 64.101.93. Meredith Chilton notes (in Harlequin Unmasked (2001), p. 304) that - unlike Pantalone - the female figure is not titled in the work records, and that her dress does not correspond to that of a servant, so she may represent an actress or a lady in a masquerade rather than Columbine.

The depiction may be based on the engraving 'Troupe of Italian Comedians' published in 1723 by Christoph Weigel (Chilton, fig. 305), though the model for the figure of Pantalone was probably the engraving by Jacques Callot of 1618-19 (Chilton, fig. 166).

Her left forefinger is restored. A small curl of hair on the side of her hairdo at the back (on her right side) is restored.
There is a 2cm long area of retouching to the yellow enamel at the bottom edge of the fold of her robe at her right rear. The tips of her yellow shoes are restored.
There is a small, narrow area of retouching along the inside edge of his right shoe.
There is some restoration/retouching to the flower and leaves at the front edge of the base in front of his right foot. There are a few further minor chips to the applied leaves with the breaks retouched in green.
There is a very small (3mm) flake of yellow enamel lacking to the bottom edge of her cloak at the rear.
Otherwise in good condition.