With a compass in his left hand and angle measurements in his apron / 22 cm high / underglaze blue crossed swords mark (back of the base)
Model number: 1369 / Early contemporary version, Meissen, ca. 1750
Provenance: Abs Collection
The series of great craftsmen is one of Kaendler's major works. It comprises a total of 18 figures, characterized by similar modeling, size, base design, and the typical attributes of each profession. The nearly consecutive block of model numbers begins with our figure, the carpenter (model number 1369), and extends to number 1397, the butcher.
To this day, there is no definitive clarity about the exact scope of the series, as Kaendler's work reports and evening reports from January 1749 to August 1764 are missing. Older literature provides little information on this. The manufactory itself, in its 1963 price list (VEB Porcelain Manufactory Meissen, Professions / Craftsmen, Sheets 3-6), listed a total of 16 figures, including three female craftsmen.
Vanessa Sigalas has thoroughly examined this question for the first time in the recently published, magnificent catalog of the Alan Shimmerman Collection (pp. 158 ff.). She adopted the complete series from the price list and correctly added the coppersmith (model number 1390), arriving at a total of 17 figures. However, in both listings (VEB/Sigalas), in our opinion, the beautiful figure of the proud tailor is missing, although his wife is included. This omission dates back to the first model book of the Meissen Manufactory from 1781–1810 (cf. Sigalas, p. 158). In short, the series of great craftsmen consists of 18 figures, making it one of the largest series created by Kaendler.
According to its model number 1369, the carpenter was created by Kaendler with the assistance of Reinicke as the first figure in the series. Like all other figures, no templates have been found so far. Sigalas partly explains this by suggesting that Kaendler saw the craftsmen in his everyday life.
The well-dressed, proud craftsman is depicted in a pose that identifies him as a representative of his guild. This is also evident in the abundance of typical professional tools and attributes: Plane, Compass, Folding rule, Angle measurements, Carpenter’s tools in his right hand. Like all male craftsmen in his series, he wears a tricorn (with button).
The relative rarity of the series may be due to the fact that it was based on a special customer order. In the 1765 price list (Berling 1900, p. 197), only the general entry "craftsman" is listed for 10 talers. A complete set has not been discovered to date.
Comparative pieces:
In the large exhibition of the Antique Porcelain Company Weinberg in London in June 1951, a total of 15 models were displayed, including the carpenter (p. 88, bottom row, left corner). The ensemble later entered the Nelson Rockefeller Collection, Sotheby’s Parke Bernet, 11.4.1980, No. 203.
The next-largest set can be found with 14 pieces in the Alan Shimmerman Collection (Sigalas, pp. 178 and 156/57). Missing are: the button maker, Klemperer, carpenter, and tailor.
Carpenters (single figures):
