Adam's THE LIBRARY COLLECTION 26th April 2022

92 108 A LARGE MEISSEN PORCELAIN MONKEY ORCHESTRA, featuring 21 musicians and conductors and a music stand, cross swords mark in blue and impressed numbers. € 8,000 - 12,000 Johann Joachim Kandler was a German sculptor and one of the most important modellers in the Meissen porcelain factory during the 18th century. He is credited with the creation of many famous examples such as the Swan Service, Commedia dell ’arte figures and of course the seminal Monkey Band Orchestra. Kandler’s career as the master modeller for Meissen greatly influenced the direction of 18th and 19th cen - tury porcelain and many of his designs were copied by other factories. Known for his particular expertise in figural modelling, he produced works that reflected the natural world, often incorporating animals into his designs. The original Monkey Band was produced in mid-18th century, with records showing it was available for sale in 1753. These figures remain his creation that most captured the public imagination, by rendering the monkey musicians imitating human-like gestures and expressing emotion. Society of the period were fascinated by primates and their clear kinship with humankind. They are based on the popular genre in France of ‘singerie’, in which monkey figures are dressed in fash - ionable clothing of period, taking on comical and satirical poses. French painter Charles Huet had created interiors in the Chateau Chantilly, titled Grande Singerie and Petite Singerie which were a direct influence for Kandler’s examples. The porcelain figures also demonstrate a clear influence that France and in particular Paris played on the dictating the artistic fashions of the time.