‘Willkomm’ drinking vessel in the shape of a bear
Meissen rd. 1750; Johann Joachim Kaendler; underglaze blue swords mark; 26 cm high
Inschrift: ‘Le vin est necessaire pour egayer, il vous donne du la vie courage de la force et de l’esprit’ (‘The wine is necessary to amuse, it gives you courage, strength and spirit in life’)
Provenance: The Christner Collection, Dallas (Christie’s New York 30.11.1979 no. 116)
Description
Carl Albiker (1935, p. 62) mentions the sitting bear as a "Willkomm", which already appears as a similar sculpture around 1500: ‘which was sometimes modelled as a cup; in such cases the head had to be removed.’ However, given the rarity of the Meissen model, Albiker was unable to name a Meissen example as a reference or to provide an illustration.
The only other ‘Willkomm’ known to us is owned by the Weimar Classic Foundation; it is unpainted and dated 1749. It was exhibited as the ‘Schwartzburg Willkomm’ in the large anniversary exhibition (Triumph der blauen Schwerter 2010 no. 329).
Literature
Banz, Claudia & Pietsch, Ulrich: Triumph der blauen Schwerter. Dresden 2010
Albiker, Carl: Die Meissener Porzellantiere im 18. Jahrhundert. Berlin 1935
Picture-gallery
