Description

Meissen group in polychrome porcelain, swords brand in blue.

This group of figures expresses on several levels the great popularity of the work in Dresden in the mid-eighteenth century. The famous Italian mezzo-soprano Faustina Bordoni is depicted in the act of singing, accompanied by a fox on the harpsichord.

In 1730, Bordoni had married Hasse, who was an orchestra conductor, a prolific composer and a skilled harpsichord player. Throughout his career, Hasse composed numerous works for the Dresden court and Faustina featured prominently in many of them. The couple’s celebrated status in Dresden’s musical life did not protect them, however, from the satirical wit of the great Meissen model maker Johann Joachim Kändler. In this composition, the inclusion of the fox on the harpsichord is a subtly disguised reference to a certain Herr Fuchs (fox), with whom Faustina had a well publicized romance. It is noteworthy that Kändler can assume that his intended audience for this porcelain group would understand references to contemporary music and singers and become familiar with the lives of Dresden’s most famous musical couple.

Our reference: A01177

Dimensions: length 24 x width 19 x height 16 cm.