Lidded Crown Tureen by Maria Josepha for Meissen Drüselkästchen, Austria

Designed for the wife of August III, Maria Josepha of Austria (1699 Vienna - 1757 Dresden), Electress of Saxony and Queen of Poland since 1733, here equipped with the ‘Alliance coat of arms of Brühl and Kolowrat-Krakowski’, porcelain, lid and body with pleats, fine and wide gold rims, openwork lattice and chain decorations, wide bands with finely painted golden leaf tendrils, lid with crown on cushion and coat of arms cartouches on the front and back, both held by two erotes, in small and large cartouches with colourful painted landscapes and vedute with gallant figures, narrow fields with purple painted seascapes, inside of lid with relief-moulded coloured Indian flowers and leaf branches, interior of body gilded, handles in the form of sculptural female busts with feather decorations, two cupids on the front and back, holding white cloth hangings and flower garlands in their hands, stepped golden base with gold-plated rocaille and volute feet. This elaborately and lovingly designed object once again reveals the inexhaustible wealth of ideas of the designers and the outstanding craftsmanship of the modellers at the Meissen manufactory, which are irreplaceable in this form. Lit.: Ernst Zimmermann, Meissner Porzellan, Leipzig 1926, p. 140: ‘On behalf of King August III, Johann Joachim Kaendler created a 'Drüselkästchen' in 1738 for Queen Maria Josepha, i.e. a container for storing threads that had been pulled out for use in embroidery and similar crafts. He gave it the shape of a small, slightly flattened, richly humped and articulated lid terrine, entirely openwork with Baroque ornamentation, decorated all around with small boys holding cloths, coats of arms and garlands, as well as two women's heads decorated with feather bushes, while on the lid two more boys hold the royal crown.' Heinrich Count von Brühl (1700–1765), Prime Minister to the Saxon Elector and King of Poland August III and, from 1739, head of the porcelain manufactory, had commissioned large quantities of Meissen porcelain with the privilege, granted personally by the Elector, of not having to pay for it. The prominent alliance coat of arms unites the House of Brühl and the House of his wife, the Polish Countess Anna Franziska Kolowrat-Krakowsky. Designed by: JOHANN JOACHIM KAENDLER (1706 - 1775) Chief sculptor at the Meissen manufactory from 1742 to 1775. He is the most famous modeller Meissen manufactory ever had and created famous series such as Shepherd Figurines, Comedian's Children, Gardener Children (with Acier), Paris Town Criers (with Reinicke and Meyer) , Gallant Figurines, etc. Design of model B 136 in 1738 Made circa 1860 Manufactory: Meissen Germany Material: Porcelain, glossy finish Technique: Handmade porcelain, hand-painted, gold painting Style: Rococo Dimensions: Height: 20,0 cm / 7.87 in Width: 25,0 cm / 9.84 in Depth: 18,5 cm / 7.28 in Marks: Meissen underglaze blue sword mark of 19th century / Incised lines Model number B 136 / Former's number 90 / Painter's number 8 Bibliography: Thomas & Sabine Bergmann, Supplement The Art of Meissen Figures, Model Numbers A 100 - Z 300, Erlangen, Germany, 2018, catalogue number 2001 on page 10. Condition: Excellent - No damage