Monkey
ca.1740, after a model of ca.1732
Medium
Hard-paste porcelain
Dimensions
Height: 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
German, Meissen
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Jack and Belle Linsky Collection, 1982
Accession Number
1982.60.310
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delightful porcelain figurine, titled *Monkey*, exemplifies the rococo whimsy of mid-18th-century Meissen porcelain. Modeled by Johann Joachim Kler, the chief sculptor at the Meissen Manufactory, it dates to around 1740, based on a design from circa 1732. Standing at 9½ inches (24.1 cm) tall, the piece is crafted from hard-paste porcelain groundbreaking European innovation developed by Meissen in 1710, which rivaled the finest Chinese wares in translucency and durability. ändler, who joined Meissen in 1731, revolutionized porcelain sculpture with his lively, naturalistic animal figures, ...