Meissen Manufactory - Musician monkeys - second half of the 18th century
© madd-bordeaux - L. Gauthier
object n°35
Musical monkeys from the Meissen factory
Gift of Edouard Evrard de Fayolle, 1911 - Inv 4759 & Inv 4760
These two porcelain statuettes from the Meissen factory in Germany (Saxony) are part of a series of twenty-one musical monkeys called the "Orchestra of Monkeys in Court Dress".
This satirical ensemble, created by Johann-Joachim Kaendler (1706-1775), is said to be a caricature of the court of Augustus III of Saxony, who ruled from 1733 to 1763. Two of these pieces are presented here: a viola player and a drummer. They stand on rocaille-style pedestals and are decorated in polychrome with gold highlights...
object n°35 (pdf)
