CIRCA 1740-1745, MODELED BY J.J. KÄNDLER

In 1740 Kändler created models of parrots in May, June and the August-October period. All three of the entries in his work report record that they were destined for ‘Mons. Huiet’, the French marchand-mercier Jean-Charles Huet, indicating that there was a considerable demand in France for Meissen parrots mounted in ormolu. The first entry for May 1740 reads: Einen Pappagoy in Thon poussiret grosse Sorte Vor Mons. Huiet. Das solcher gegen den ehemals Von mir gefertigeten Pappagoy siehet [modeled a large parrot in clay for Monsieur Huet. Such a parrot should be compared to the one I previously made]⁽¹⁾. A pair of similar parrot models, each with cherries in their beaks, are illustrated by Gerhard Röbbig, Kabinettstücke, Amira-Palais, Munich, October-November 2008 Exhibition Catalogue, Munich, 2008, pp. 124-125.

1. Cited by Ulrich Pietsch, Die Arbeitsberichte des Meissener Porzellanmodelleurs, Johann Joachim Kaendler, Leipzig, 2002, p. 70. Although there is no mention in the work reports of parrot models being created between July 1735 (when Kändler modeled life-size models of parrots for the King’s Japanese Palace in Dresden), and May 1740, models of parrots in three different sizes were recorded among the porcelain in the Dresden stockroom in 1737, which were ready for delivery to Count Brühl; ‘1 Pappageÿ gross / 3 ditto mittl. / 1 D. kleiner’ (1 parrot large / 3 ditto medium size / 1 ditto small), cited by Gerhard Röbbig, ibid., 2008, p. 123.