Lot 1319 D α

A Meissen porcelain model of a rhinoceros

Auction 1174 - overview Cologne
04.06.2021, 12:00 - Decorative Arts
Estimate: 1.500 € - 2.000 €
Result: 1.875 € (incl. premium)
Artist Alert
Print page
Watchlist

A Meissen porcelain model of a rhinoceros

Blue crossed swords mark with pronounced pommels. Both ears and the tail restored H 9.8 cm.
Late 19th C., model by Johann Joachim Kaendler, spring 1755.

This porcelain sculpture depicts the orphaned rhinoceros Clara, who was born in Bengal in 1738 and arrived in Europe at the age of two with the Dutch East India Company. Even before her debut tour in 1746, Clara was known throughout the continent by way of newspaper articles, copperplate engravings and pamphlets, and was even portrayed by Jean Baptiste Ourdy and Pietro Longhi. She died in London on April 14th 1758.

Provenance

Collection of Renate and Tono Dreßen.

Literature

An early example is housed in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, two in the Museum für Angewandte Kunst Cologne and in the Museum für Angewandte Kunst Frankfurt.
Cf. also Triumph der blauen Schwerter, Dresden-Leipzig 2010, no. 374.