Rare paire de statuettes en porcelaine de Meissen représentant le tailleur du Comte Brühl et sa femme, circa 1745

A rare pair of Meissen figures of Count Brühl's tailor and his wife, circa 1745

Modelled by J.J. Kaendler (the tailor) and J.F. Eberlein (the tailor's wife), each seated on a goat, the tailor holding scissors aloft and with two kids in a barrel on his back, surrounded by the implements of his trade, wearing a long purple coat with gild buttons, turquoise cuffs and decorated with black and gilt flowers; the lady nursing a child and with a suckling baby goat on the base, wearing a black cap, puce bodice, white dress with purple floral pattern and a white apron, the bases applied with leaves and flowers, 25.4cm and 18.2cm high faint crossed swords marks in blue, impressed 45 (the tailor), collector's mark (?) painted in black (the tailor's wife) (some minor damage and restoration) (2)
Footnotes:
Provenance:
Maurice de Rothschild Collection, anon. sale, Christie's London, 17 October 1977, lot 175;
The Christener Collection, Dallas, Texas, sold Christie's New York, 8 June 1979, lot 109 (the tailor)

The tailor's wife is listed in Eberlein's work records in August 1740: '1 Schneidersfrau mit einem stillenden Kinde auf einer Ziege reitend, nebst einer jungen Ziege, die sauget' [A tailor's wife with a nursing child riding on a goat, alongside a young goat suckling]. The tailor is listed in Kaendler's work records in November 1740: 'Den Schneider Welcher auf einen Ziegen Bock reutet Vollends gefertiget und zu Porzellain Arbeit befördert, Wie Er seinen gantzen Werck Zeug bey sich führet' [The tailor riding on a billy goat completely finished and sent for porcelain work, as he carries all his work tools with him].

Count Bruehl's Tailor:
The scissors in his right hand are restored (one tip is chipped) and the hand is restuck at the wrist.
The left ear of one goat (with brown fur) in the basket is restored.
The wooden staff (with gilt tip) next to the iron hanging at his waist on his left is restored.
The loop of the reins in his left hand is restored.
The right horn of the goat is restuck in several pieces. The goat's right ear is restuck at the base.
There are some very minor chips to the applied flowers and leaves on the base.

Tailor's wife:
Both horns and both ears of the goat are restored.
Her right shoe is broken off and there is (old discoloured) associated overpainting to a small area of the underside of her skirt over the break.
There are a few very minor chips to the leaves and flowers applied to the base.

Otherwise in good condition.