Greeting Harlequin
Meissen Model by Johann Joachim Kaendler, circa 1740 / Casting and decorating shortly thereafter / Height: 15.7 cm / Form number: 632
Provenance: Formerly Antique Porcelain Company, New York, 1960s
The Greeting Harlequin belongs to the renowned group of Kaendler’s “10 Large Harlequins” (Exhibition Catalog Kraków, no. 51; Chilton, no. 78), which Kaendler created between 1738 and 1742 (Chilton, p. 189, no. 77, fig. 199, p. 126). This series played a fundamental role in establishing his reputation as one of the most important modelers of the 18th century.
Meredith Chilton highlights in her seminal work Harlequin Unmasked (p. 189, final paragraph) the expressive and monumental presence of our figure, stating that Kaendler far surpassed his graphic source.
Inspiration
Kaendler drew inspiration from one of the earliest paintings by Watteau, the now-lost "Départ des Comédiens Italiens" (1697), which was engraved by Louis Jacob (see Dacier/Vuaflart IV, no. 184; Menzhausen, p. 60, see illustration below).
Chilton (op. cit.) further suggests that Kaendler may have known the pose of the bowing Harlequin from firsthand observation of performances in Dresden. She argues that this posture was part of a choreographed stage tradition.
Taxa (Rafael in Keramos 203-204/2009):
- No. 5: "Arlequin mit seinem Hute ein sehr tieff Compliment machend" (p. 46).
- No. 24: "1. Theatralischer Kerl mit dem Huth ein Compliment machend" (p. 47).
Polychrome Decoration
The painting of our Harlequin is of outstanding quality. The rich, deep yellow of the playing-card-patterned jacket suggests an early coloration, applied shortly after the creation of the model.
Comparative Pieces
- Shimmerman Collection, cat. no. 133 = Carmen Baronesse Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, Christie’s, 13.11.2019, no. 109
- Pauls-Eisenbeiss Collection, UK, p. 272 = Menzhausen, p. 134
- Gardiner Museum, no. 78, fig. 199, p. 126
- Arnhold Collection, no. 47 (now in a museum) = Bruckhaus Collection, 29.05.1933, no. 596 = Exhibition Catalog Impulse Hohenberg, 1959, I, no. 20, p. 41
- Rückert 1966, no. 888, T. 217 (Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nürnberg)
- National Trust, Clandon Park
- Untermyer Collection, plate 36, fig. 53 (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) = Friedrich Hofmann, Porcelain of European Manufactories, fig. 270
- Budge Collection, no. 810, T. 26
- Gustav von Klemperer Collection, no. 576, T. 53
- Ionides Collection (Sitwell 1949, Theatrical Figures in Porcelain, Plate V)
- Nelson A. Rockefeller Collection, Sotheby’s New York, 15.10.1963, no. 488 = René Fribourg Collection
- Berling 1911, T. 6, fig. 1, no. 632
- Scott Collection, Antique Porcelain Digest, T. 78, no. 283
- Wadsworth Atheneum (Object ID: 1917.1354)