Unknown Artist
In the 18th century, the Chinese porcelain was an European luxury product, coming from the Far East, symbol of the fantasized and exoticly refined China.
The European courts were actively involved in the porcelain race because the precious Chinese recipe was still a secret for European ceramists and Chinese porcelain was imported from all around the world. In Europe, the Electorate of Saxony found a way to produce the first hard-paste porcelain by discovering the main ingredient, kaolin clay, in the city of Meissen. A luxury manufacture was then born in 1710.
It attracted artists such as the Frenchmen François Joullain and Jacques Callot, who designed these porcelain characters models.
Columbine and Pantaloon are stock characters from the Commedia dell’Arte, the Italian form of comic theatre, in which character embodies a mood. Columbine is a comic servant, while Pantaloon is one of the most important characters, penny-pinching and debauched. It is a flirtatious scene between them, which shows the nature of those characters.
This universe became a popular inspiration subject for 18th century artists. This porcelain model, where Columbine holds a mask, and fondles the beard of Pantaloon, is commonly found in museums.
The wrapped clothing worn by Columbine was a popular style in Saxony around 1750.
Hence, this whole piece shows the typical mid-18th century tastes.
- Coraline Méric
P.S. Check here for a unique selection of ancient blue faience hippopotamuses; they are not made of porcelain but we love them in DailyArt! <3