The Arnhold Collection of Meissen Porcelain, 1710–50
March 25, 2008, through June 29, 2008
Images from the Exhibition: First | Last
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Pantalone and Columbine, Meissen
porcelain, c. 1740, modeled by Johann
Joachim Kändler, 1736–38; 2006.582;
H: 6 5/8 in. (17 cm.) Photo: Maggie Nimkin |
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Although Henry Arnhold has generally followed his parents’ collecting preference for vases and wares, in recent years he has acquired several significant figural groups made at Meissen. Beginning in the mid-1730s, the factory produced a series of figures from the Italian commedia dell’arte, most of which were modeled by the master sculptor Kändler and often based on prints. The group of Pantalone and Columbine has a theatrical quality, with the figures seemingly in centrifugal movement as Pantalone strides forward, his head turned toward Columbine, her hand on her hip and skirts flying. The group demonstrates the mastery achieved at the Meissen manufactory by the 1730s, not only in modeling but also in painting using a broad palette of overglaze enamel colors. Serving the demands of the king and the court, diplomatic gifts of Meissen porcelain brought this distinctive European porcelain to the attention of royal collectors and connoisseurs outside Saxony, and a marketplace developed as well, particularly in France, with the marchands-merciers ordering figures and wares to satisfy local tastes.
>>> First image from the exhibition.
The Arnhold Collection of Meissen Porcelain, 1710–50, was organized for The Frick Collection by Director Anne L. Poulet and Maureen Cassidy-Geiger, guest curator of the exhibition. It is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue, published by The Frick Collection in association with D Giles Unlimited, London, available in mid-April in the Museum Shop and online at shopfrick.org.
The exhibition is made possible, in part, by the generous support of the Arnhold Foundation.
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