An Extremely Rare and Fine Pair of Meissen Models of Squirrels, Circa 1745.

An Extremely Rare and Fine Pair of Meissen Models of Squirrels, modelled by J.J.Kaendler, each Squirrel seated on its haunches and highly naturalistically modelled and each beautifully painted with ginger and brown

markings, alert faces and highly pricked ears and wearing silvered collars. One Squirrel holding a nut between its paws and the other Squirrel with its paws at its feet but holding a nut in its mouth, each sitting on a naturalistically modelled oval base applied with colourful flowers and leaves.

J.J.Kaendler first modelled a pair of Squirrels for the Meissen manufactory in 1732, his work records or Taxa report for the month of August that year lists, ‘Zwei Eichhornigen’. See Carl Albiker, Die Meissner Porzellantiere

im 18. Jahrhundert, Berlin, 1935. No 164. It is certainly conceivable that Kaendler modelled these extremely successful naturalistic models from captive Squirrels perhaps in the Royal Menagerie at Moritzburg, which he frequently visited in order to gain inspiration and to draw from the life.