The Little Golden Bird, H 42 cm

The sculptor Jörg Danielczyk created this charming harlequin with a golden bird especially for Meissen’s tercentenary. Historically, this figurine cites Augustus the Strong’s two court jesters, Joseph Fröhlich and “Baron’ Gottfried Schmiedel, as well as Peter Strang’s Eulenspiegel. Taking a close look at the figurine, we may ask what the artist was trying to say. Something about the trying to hold happiness in your hand before it flies away chirping, or is it a metaphor for how the discovery of porcelain followed the search for making gold? That is what happened 300 years ago in Meissen, fortunately.