Eagle
Medium
Hard-paste porcelain
Dimensions
Height: 22 1/2 in. (57.2 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
German, Meissen
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Abby Rockefeller Mauzé, 1959
Accession Number
59.31.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
Perched with majestic intensity, this life-sized *Eagle* (ca. 1731) from the Meissen Manufactory exemplifies the pinnacle of early European porcelain artistry. Modeled by Johann Gottlieb Kirchner, a master sculptor renowned for his naturalistic animal figures, the 22½-inch (57.2 cm) hard-paste porcelain bird captures the raptor’s fierce gaze and powerful stance in exquisite detail. Produced in Meissen, Germany—the first European center to successfully manufacture true hard-paste porcelain since 1710—this piece reflects the technical wizardry of the era, rivaling the finest Chinese imports with...
About the Artist
Meissen Manufactory|Johann Gottlieb Kirchner · 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...