Très rare groupe en porcelaine de Meissen représentant un couple d'amoureux avec une volière, circa 1745

A very rare Meissen group of lovers with a birdcage, circa 1745

Modelled by J.J. Kaendler, the gentleman holding a bird cage containing a parrot eating cherries offered by the lady, with her left hand she puts feathers on his hat while he holds up a bird in his right, a pug dog is peeping from the folds of her apron, he wearing a blue hat with purple rosette, yellow jacket with iron-red bows and puce breeches with turquoise rosettes, she wearing a red tricorn hat, turquoise bodice, skirt decorated with indianische Blumen and a blue apron, her purple shoes with yellow bows, a leafy tree at the rear and the base applied with leaves and flowers, 20.9cm high, impressed 45 (his right hand restuck, minor chips and restoration)
Footnotes:
Provenance:
Anon. sale, Christie's London, 3 November 1997, lot 280

Literature:
J. Rafael, Zur 'Taxa Kaendler', in Keramos 203/204 (2009), p. 49 (illustrated)

Kaendler's Taxa includes: '1. Groupgen vor den Ober Land Bau Meister Kröffeln, eine theatralische Manns Figur vorstellend, einen Vogel Gebauer in der lincken Hand haltend, darinnen ein Papagoy, neben welcher eine wohlgeputzte Manns Figur stehet, welche den Papagoy Kirschen zu freßen giebt, den Manns Bilde aber Federn auff den Kopf sezet, dargegen er ihr einen Vogel praesentiret, i Gestalt einer Meise' [1 group for the Ober Land-Bau Meister Kröffel, depicting a theatrical male figure holding a bird cage containing a parrot in his left hand, next to whom stands a well-dressed figure of a man (i.e a female figure - mistake in the original), giving the parrot cherries to eat while setting feathers on the man's head, whereas he presents her with a bird, in the form of a titmouse].

The group is also mentioned in Kaendler's work records in March 1741: 'Ein Groupgen, nehml. eine Mannsfigur mit Vogelbauer, worinnen ein Pappagoy, neben ihm stehet ein Frauenzimmer, so dem Pappagoy Kirschen zu freßen giebt, und der Mannsperson Federn auffn Kopf setzet, worgegen er ihe eine Maise präsentirt' [A group, consisting of a man with a birdcage in which there is a parrot, beside him a woman giving the parrot cherries to eat and putting feathers on the man's head, whereas he presents her with a titmouse].

Another example of this group is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Irwin Untermyer, acc. no. 64.101.124; another was sold at Sotheby's London, 12 March 1968, lot 157; a third, formerly in the von Pannwitz Collection, was offered at Christie's London, 12 October 1995, lot 47.

His right hand is cleanly restuck at the wrist. The bird's left wing is restored and their is some associated overpainting to its back.
There is some very minor retouching to the black enamel along the front edge of one black feather on his hat.
His left forefinger is restored.
There is a tiny bit of retouching/restoration to the tips of three fingers on her left hand.
There are a few retouched spots of flaking to the turquoise on the back of her bodice.
There is a tiny flake of blue enamel lacking to the edge of her apron at the bottom corner on her right.
There is a tiny spot of wear to the puce bottom edge of her skirt at the base of one fold to her rear.
There are some typical small chips to the applied leaves on the base and tree and to one flower petal. There is some restoration or retouching to several of the applied leaves.
Otherwise in good condition.