Magnificence of Rococo. Kaendler's Meissen Porcelain Figures

Johann Joachim Kaendler is closely associated with the flourishing Meissen Manufactory in the eighteenth century. A new publication now presents this exceptionally gifted modeller’s most beautiful figurines from European private collections. It accompanies an outstanding exhibition at the Wawel Royal Castle in Cracow, Poland.

At the age of twenty-five Johann Joachim Kaendler (1706–1775) was appointed court sculptor by Augustus the Strong (r. 1694–1733). The same year he entered the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory as a modeller, to which he stayed loyal his entire life. It was here that he proved his artistic and artisanal aptitude in creating numerous porcelain figures, which remain highly valued as collector’s items to this day.

The choice of subject matter in Kaendler’s works reflects the courtly life of the time, which spanned from the Late Baroque, through the Rococo, to the emerging classical period. The aristocracy and the court were virtually the manufactory’s only clientele up to the end of the Saxon-Polish diarchy in 1763, before the aspiring middle classes finally discovered porcelain for themselves. Accordingly, Kaendler’s early works were oriented on the preference and fashions of the court. Hunting and theatre, and particularly the popular Commedia dell’arte, played a central role in this, likewise the Freemasons guild, which was replaced by the Order of the Pug after the papal prohibition.

Kaendler did not limit himself to just official cultural affairs but also reflected preferences and desires as well as current trends. He created what was called Crinoline groups, which depicted men and women in everyday courtly life – also in an amorous context. He also showed ordinary life featuring figures from the general populace: craftsmen, peasants, and the so-called Cris de Paris, which represented various professions.

Exotic depictions of all kinds too were en vogue, with Kaendler modelling figures in their respective traditional dress as well as animals unknown in Europe such as elephants, lions, and dromedaries. In his Chinoiserie works, he not only created figures in characteristic costumes but also uniquely alluring family scenes. Within a few years, a unique world in porcelain had been created.

The publication Magnificence of Rococo now brings together for the very first time Kaendler’s impressive porcelain figures from European private collections. Essays by renowned Meissen experts examine the objects from a variety of perspectives, while a comprehensive catalogue section provides insights into eighteenth-century courtly life with over 300 illustrations of the objects, which have been arranged by subject matter. The book accompanies the exhibition of the same name, instigated by the Röbbig gallery in Munich, at the Wawel Royal Castle in Cracow.