Premier Auction | Session III
Sat, May 18, 2019 09:00AM EDT
Lot 1638
Five Meissen Porcelain Monkey Orchestra Figures
Estimate: $1,500 - $2,500
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $25 |
| $100 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $200 |
| $3,000 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,000 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
German, late 19th/early 20th century, four with underglaze blue mark for Meissen, comprising: songstress, marked "no. 13", 4-5/8 in.; timbal carrier, marked "3", 5-3/8 in.; flutist, 6 in.; bagpiper, 5-3/4 in.; timbal drummer, attributed to Meissen, marked "no. 12", 5-3/4 in.
Note:Lot accompanied by Northeast Auctions catalog, October 31-November 2, 2003.
The Monkey Orchestra is an outstanding example from Meissen’s Baroque era. Popular in France at that time, the singerie genre depicts fashionably dressed monkeys imitating human behavior in a satirical manner. Entire rooms could be decorated with these comical scenes, from the walls, upholstery fabrics and carpets all the way to the porcelain. Modeled after drawings from famed French singerie artist Christophe Huet, Monkey Orchestra is an ensemble of Rococo-outfitted primates, produced with elaborate craftsmanship and painted in rich detail. The earliest of these figurines quickly made their way from the Meissen kilns straight to Paris, where Madame de Pompadour, mistress to King Louis XV, was one of the first recipients of the collection in 1753.
Meissen's Monkey Orchestra consists of 21 monkey musicians. Johann Joachim Kaendler, Meissen's first model master, created this bizarre orchestra in 1753: monkeys disguised as humans - delicate, playful figurines for festive table decorations. Kaendler thus ironically and humorously holds up a mirror to courtly society - in keeping with the fashion of the time. Artfully hand-crafted, painted in many variations and details, each individual figurine of the monkey chapel proclaims Kaendler's great craftsmanship and the originality and uniqueness of Meissen porcelain.
, Provenance: Northeast Auctions, October 31-November 2, 2003, lot 747; Property from an Important Private South Carolina Estate
Condition
minor wear throughout, songstress with chip and loss at bonnet ribbon, lacking one toe; timbal carrier with enamel chip and loss at one timbal, break and repair at other timbal with retouch, break and repair at feather, break and repair at hand; flutist with breaks and losses at flute and hand, chips and minor losses at foot; bagpiper with breaks and losses at bagpipe, chip at one foot, one hand; timbal drummer with restorations throughout upper half, breaks and repairs at drumsticks with minor losses
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