.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
The anthropomorphic scenes on the present service relate to a long tradition of decoration inspired by characters found in fables that would have been all the rage in Germany at the end of the 18th century. The scenes point out the foibles of Humanity, with a number of pieces showcasing a fox, likely a depiction of the cunning character Petit Reinhard, as the central character in the scene.
Though fables involving Petit Reinhard have existed for centuries, it wasn't until 1498 that a German language version appeared, Reynke de vosthat, the poem later translated into prose in 1752. Although based on literary sources that would have been circulating widely in educated society at the time the present service was made, few such anthropomorphic services would appear to be extant.
See the cup and saucer in the M. von Oppenheim Collection Catalogue, plate 55; the singerie cup and saucer from the collection of Dr. Ernst Schneider, Rainer Rückert, Meissener Porzellan, Munich, 1966, no. 738, p. 171; another cup and saucer from this same service sold Sotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, 13 October 1983, lot 118; the puce-scale ribbed coffee-cup and saucer sold as lot 117 in the same auction; the much smaller tea and coffee service from a Southern Collection sold Christie's, New York, 18 October 2002, lot 301 ($31,070); and the large tea and coffee service sold Piasa, Paris, 31 May 2013, lot 43 (66,216 euros).
Though fables involving Petit Reinhard have existed for centuries, it wasn't until 1498 that a German language version appeared, Reynke de vosthat, the poem later translated into prose in 1752. Although based on literary sources that would have been circulating widely in educated society at the time the present service was made, few such anthropomorphic services would appear to be extant.
See the cup and saucer in the M. von Oppenheim Collection Catalogue, plate 55; the singerie cup and saucer from the collection of Dr. Ernst Schneider, Rainer Rückert, Meissener Porzellan, Munich, 1966, no. 738, p. 171; another cup and saucer from this same service sold Sotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, 13 October 1983, lot 118; the puce-scale ribbed coffee-cup and saucer sold as lot 117 in the same auction; the much smaller tea and coffee service from a Southern Collection sold Christie's, New York, 18 October 2002, lot 301 ($31,070); and the large tea and coffee service sold Piasa, Paris, 31 May 2013, lot 43 (66,216 euros).