POSSIBLY DRESDEN, LATE 17TH/EARLY 18TH CENTURY

This figure seeming to depict Luxing, the deity of prosperity, rank and influence. He is wearing the traditional Mandarin dress and a stylized Futou hat. This only unusual object can be attributed to the workshop of Johann Melchior Dinglinger (1664-1731), jeweler to August the Strong from 1698. Although this object could have been part of a larger composition such as a mechanical automaton or a prize exhibit, Dinglinger is best remembered for his trinkets and fancy goods which served as aristocratic luxury articles. This little figure shows the growing fascination for China and the emergence of chinoiserie which became a favorite type of decoration in Meissen porcelain.