Buddhist Divinity
ca. 1715–20
Medium
Hard-paste porcelain
Dimensions
Height: 3 1/4 in. (8.3 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
German, Meissen
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Irwin Untermyer, 1970
Accession Number
1970.277.3
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate porcelain figurine, *Buddhist Divinity*, by the Meissen Manactory around 1715–20 and modeled by Georg Funcke exemplifies the dawn of European porcelain production. Standing just 3 1/4 inches tall, it captures a serene Buddhist figure in hard-paste porcelain—a groundbreaking material developed by Meissen in 1710, the first in Europe to rival the translucent quality of Chinese imports. Funcke, a skilled early modeler, contributed to Meissen's innovative figurines, blending technical mastery with whimsical exoticism. Meissen's achievement marked a pivotal moment in decorative arts,...
About the Artist
Meissen Manufactory|Georg Funcke · 1710–present
The Meissen Manufactory, established on June 6, 1710, by Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, marked the dawn of true hard-paste porcelain production in Europe. Nestled at Albrechtsburg Castle in Meissen near Dresden, the Royal Polish and Electoral Saxon Porcelain Manufactory arose from alchemical experiments begun in 1708 by physicist Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus and p...