Très rare statuette en porcelaine de Meissen représentant une dame à crinoline, circa 1737

A very rare Meissen crinoline figure of a lady, circa 1737

Modelled by J.J. Kaendler, holding a fan with both hands, wearing a black and white cap with purple bow, an iron-red-lined yellow long coat decorated with purple flowers and with blue cuffs and collar, applied with purple bows at the cuffs, a black bodice and white skirt with a gilt and polychrome flowers, foliage and strapwork, her underskirt edged in purple and with a yellow shoe; together with a Samson, Paris, figure of a cavalier, 19th century, after the Meissen model by J.J. Kaendler, wearing a yellow-lined purple coat reserved with a floral pattern and with turquoise cuffs and collar, black breeches and red shoes, 14cm and 14.5cm high, crossed swords mark in underglaze-blue (the lady), faint traces of blue mark and incised marks (the gentleman) (ribbons at the back of her cap broken off, his right leg restuck) (2)
Footnotes:
Provenance:
Mrs. Charles E. Dunlap Collection, sold Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, 3-6 December 1975, lot 292;
The Christner Collection, Dallas, Texas, sold Christie's New York, 8 June 1979, lot 121

Exhibited:
Dallas Convention Centre, Loan Collection, 17-20 March 1977, no. 14

The figure is first mentioned in Kaendler's work records in December 1736: 'Noch eine Figur aufs Waaren Lager gefertiget, in einer adrienne, wie sie einen Fächer in Händen hält, und eine Manns Person im Schlaf Pelze sauber geputzet kommet, ihr ins Ohr zu reden' [Another figure finished for the warehouse, in an adrienne holding a fan in her hands, and a cleanly made man in a sleeping costume approaches to speak in her ear]; there is an additional mention in March 1737 of six porcelain figures 'mit der adrijane' and twelve 'mit dem Schlaf Pelze' being cleaned up.

Based on the engraving by Pierre Filloeul, Le baiser rendu, published in 1736, after the painting of 1733 by Jean-Baptiste Pater.

A similarly decorated example is in the Pauls Collection (I. Menzhausen, In Porzellan verzaubert (1993), pp.96-97 and cover illustration). The author notes (p. 34) the fashionable adrienne - or long coat - worn over the dress and the 'bewitching beauty' of the figure: 'this porcelain figure is like a portrait of one of the beautiful women of the Dresden court'.

Others are in the Residenzmuseum, Munich (published by R. Rückert, Meissener Porzellan 1710-1810 (1966), no. 856; in the Metropolitan Museum, New York, The Jack and Belle Linsky Collection, acc. no. 1982.60.311; the Musée du Louvre, Paris, inv. no. OA 6496; and in the Kocher Collection, Historisches Museum, Bern; and in the Alan Shimmerman Collection (V. Sigalas/M. Chilton (eds.), All Walks of Life (2022), no. 118).

The lady:
The ribbons at the back of her cap are broken off and there are two narrow flat chips (and one narrow unpainted section) on the folds on the back of her robe where the ribbons were attached; and there is a small chip to the right edge of the purple bow on her hat.
There are two very narrow adjacent flat chips to the bottom edge of her robe (where it touches the ground), approx. 5mm and 1cm wide.
There is a very narrow flat chip to one corner of the purple bow at her left elbow.
Otherwise in good condition.

The Man:
His right leg is cleanly restuck through the knee.
Otherwise in good condition.