Exclusive Collection Monkey with Pup

Augustus the Strong (1670-1733) aspired to turn his "Japanese Palace" in Dresden into the world's largest and most magnificent palace for porcelain. As a result, work on new creations proceeded flat-out at MEISSEN^® from 1731 onwards, amongst them life-size animal sculptures considered some of the finest specimens of porcelain art produced in the entire 18th century. The "Female Monkey with Young" modelled by Johann Gottlieb Kirchner (1706-post-1738) is a good example. The trained sculptor initially had great difficulty working in the malleable medium of porcelain but, with time, evolved into a master of large-format animal statuary alongside Johann Joachim Kaendler (1706-1775) at Meissen. The two modellers found the sources for their sculptures close at hand in natural-science illustrations, cabinets displaying stuffed animals and the menageries and aviaries sited around Moritzburg Hunting Lodge. Whereas Kaendler was strong on dynamics, Kirchner placed greater emphasis on expressions. His "Female Monkey with Young" depicts a tormented mother with realistic and, in a funny sort of way, rather human traits: its mix of traditional and modern approaches is symptomatic of the various currents running through late Baroque art.