Bacchanal with Wine Barrel Group attributed to Kaendler & Meyer for Meissen, Germany, 1870s

Rare, excellent porcelain group of the 19th century: Youthful Bacchus with nymph and putti grouped around a large wine cask: The Bacchant, covered with a leopard skin, sitting sideways on the barrel, holding up grapes in his left hand and a wine glass with lid in celebration with his right, a putto kneeling in front of the barrel and drawing wine into a decanter, next to it lying on the ground a bottle in wickerwork, another putto dancing with a raised wine glass, behind the barrel a nymph with a basket full of grapes next to a third putto sitting on a goat. The group is based on a round earthen pedestal richly decorated with gold heightened rocailles. Bacchanalia were cult celebrations held in honour of Dionysus, surnamed Bacchus, the god of wine, intoxication, madness and ecstasy, at which excessive amounts of wine were usually consumed. The leopard (panther) and the lion were sacred to Dionysus, especially the leopard with its spotted fur. Therefore, Bacchus is often depicted as an iconographic attribute together with a leopard or with leopard fur.

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. FRIEDRICH ELIAS MEYER (1723 – 1785): called ‘the Elder’, was a German sculptor and porcelain modeler in the Rococo period. He created numerous models for the Meissen porcelain manufactory and worked closely with dealers there, but made a name for himself above all as a master model in the Royal Porcelain Manufactory in Berlin. This model was designed 1761

Manufactory: Meissen Germany Dating: made around 1870 Material: porcelain, glossy finish
Technique: handmade porcelain, hand-painted, gold painting
Style: Rococo Dimensions centerpiece: height: 21,0 cm / 8.26 in diameter: 15,0 cm / 5.90 in
Marks: Meissen blue underglaze sword mark / first quality Model number 2811 / former’s number 51 + 137 / painter’s number 36
Bibliography: Thomas & Sabine Bergmann, Meissen Figures, Model Numbers 1 – 3000, Erlangen, Germany 2017, catalogue number 2192 on page 532. Condition: excellent