Group of Spaniels, 11x15x12 cm

One of Augustus the Strong’s greatest passions was hunting as a major social event, long a preserve of the aristocracy. The participants were wont to keep a record of this exclusive pastime that served to denote the status of the nobility when not actually out in the field. A trophy on its own was often insufficient for this purpose, and hence it was that many a hunting hound made its way into art history in painted or sculptured form. Modeller supremo Kaendler incorporated the trappings of the hunt into his oeuvre almost from the moment the art of making porcelain was mastered at MEISSEN®. And there have been few artists at the Manufactory since who haven’t tried their hand at the subject. The two spaniels (1915) by Paul Walther reveal his considerable powers of empathy, a quality that made him one of the Manufactory’s great animal sculptors. No longer simply members of the pack, they are able here to evolve into hounds with truly distinctive characters.