Hungarian Lady: C.47-1954

Titles

Hungarian Lady

Maker(s)

Modeller: Kändler, Johann Joachim
Modeller: Reinicke, Peter (Probably)

Entities

• Figure

Categories

• Hard-paste porcelain

Description

Hard-paste porcelain painted in enamels, and gilt

Hard-paste porcelain, press-moulded, painted overglaze in blue, yellowish-green, pale yellow, pink, red, and purple enamels, and gilt. The flat, unglazed underside has a circular ventilation hole in the centre. The low, rounded square base is decorated around the rocky edge of the top with applied leaves and three flowers. The lady stands with her feet slightly apart. Her head is turned slightly to her left, and she holds her left hand to her breast and has her right extended to her left. She wears a close-fitting white cap almost concealing her blonde hair, a double necklace of white beads fastening at the back with a green bow, a pink bodice with a purple foliage pattern gold edging and lacing over a white chemise with the left sleeve coloured yellow. Her white skirt is scatterd with polychrome floral sprays, and has a gold belt decorated with continuous sprays of leaves, two similar strips down the front, and a plain gold band on the hem. Hanging from her shoulders at the back she has a short pale yellow cape scattered with gold leaf sprays, and turned back at the sides to reveal the white fur lining. Its high collar is also lined with white fur.Her shoes are yellow, and she has a gold bracelet on each wrist.

Notes

History note: Willy Lissauer, Berlin from whom purchased on 7 December 1934, for £46 by Cecil Vavasseur, 2nd Baron Fisher of Kilverstone; Lord and Lady Fisher, Kilverstone Hall, Norfolk

Legal notes

Given by Lord and Lady Fisher through the National Art Collections Fund

Place(s) associated

• Meissen ⪼ Saxony ⪼ Germany

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1954-01-14) by Fisher, Lord and Lady

Dating

18th Century, Mid
Production date: circa AD 1750

Note

During the eighteenth century Europeans were fascinated by the exotic costumes and customs of the Ottoman Empire, and their interest was stimulated by the publication of illustrated books on costume. Among the best known of these was the Comte de Ferriol and Le Hay's 'Receuil de cent estampes représentant différerentes nations du Levant', Paris, 1714. This was reprinted in 1715, and a smaller German edition in two volumes with the plates reversed was published by Christoph Weigel at Nüremberg in 1719 and 1729 with the title 'Wahreste und neueste Abbildung des Türchischen Hofes'. The plates in the 'Receuil' were engraved from drawings made in 1707-1708 by Jean-Baptiste Vanmour (1671-1737) who was a member of the Comte de Ferriol's entourage during the ten years from 1699 which he spent as Louis XIV's ambassador to the Sublime Porte. They depicted the Sultan, his Court, and the various people of the Ottoman Empire who frequented Istanbul. A selection of plates from the 'Recueil' or the German edition, served as designs for a series of Meissen figures popularly known as The Levantines. They were modelled by Kaendler and Reinicke in 1749-50. This Hungarian lady, Meissen model no. 1281, was based on pl. 77 in the Paris edition.