A rare Meissen Chinoiserie yellow-ground oval Snuff-box, circa 1730

Transcription

1 A rare Meissen Chinoiserie yellow-ground oval Snuff-box, circa 1730 no marks silver-gilt mounting interior of the box completely gilded form number 2 (after Beaucamp-Markowsky 1985) length 7,5 cm / depth 4,8 cm / height 5,4 cm flawless condition Within the big genre of Meissen snuff boxes those with early Chinoiserie decor are particularly important because they are rare and sought after. The oval box with concave sides and slightly domed cover ranks among the earliest snuff-box models of the Meissen manufactory. In the 1720s and 30s, they were popular. They probably refer to earlier boxes in silver and gold (Pietsch 2013 p. 153). A rare Meissen Chinoiserie yellow-ground oval snuff box, circa 1730 Page 1

2 Each exterior side is painted in sparkling yellow ornamented with a quatrefoil panel finely sketched with vivid Chinoiserie scenes (except the bottom). They refer to models of Höroldt s sketchbook, which today is known as Schulz-Codex. The painters of Höroldt s workshop had to use these drawings of the Schulz-Codex for decorating Meissen porcelains. But good painters were able to combine different scenes to new compositions and the more he varied the better the painter. The exterior to the underside is decorated with an unique floral pattern in sea-green, blue and green. Left part of the cover s interior (plate 43 I 1 & 65 I 3) The kneeling admirer with the presentation basket left to the sitting Chinese woman can be found on the plates 43 I 1 & 65 I 3. The same scene decorates a saucer of the Arnhold Collection (Cassidy-Geiger no. 78 A, Exotische Welten no. 43a), which is part of the famous Guggenheim service. The facial expression of the Chinese woman beneath the palm tree (see appendix p. 11*, very similar to our woman), lets Cassidy-Geiger assume that the painter is Philipp Ernst Schindler. Also the same scene is on a coffee pot of the Collection Schneider, Schloss Lustheim (Exotische Welten no. 43 b and Behrends text volume plate VII no. 78). * Comparative pieces are depicted in the appendix A rare Meissen Chinoiserie yellow-ground oval snuff box, circa 1730 Page 2

3 Centre right of the cover s interior (plate 75 I 2) Right section of the cover s interior (plate 47 ii 2) The Chinese man lost in thought under the palm tree is similar to a figure on a snuff-box of the Collection Heine (Pietsch 1996 no. 127 = Heine no. 8). Both figures resemble the leaning spectator, who can be found on plate 47 II 2. The whole scene appears on the famous Höroldt tankard in the Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin (Bursche no. 57). The Chinese man with the wide-brimmed hat with flattering bands next to the vase refers to plate 47 II 2. The same template also served as model for a scene on a saucer in the Museum für Kunsthandwerk Frankfurt (Bauer no. 25 = Exotische Welten no. 47b). Also it is on a yellow-grounded beaker, which came up for auction at Van Ham ( no. 1025). But the painting on our snuff-box is much more intensive. A rare Meissen Chinoiserie yellow-ground oval snuff box, circa 1730 Page 3

4 Front side of the box (plates 15 I 6 & 48 ii 1 & 102 ii 4) This scene can be found on three different Schulz-Codex sheets: plates 15 I 6 & 48 II 1 & 102 II 4. The big umbrella in the hand of the upright man argues that plate 48 II 1 (shown left) is the direct source. Unfortunately, the sheet hasn t completely preserved. But there is a bowl in the Museum of Arts and Crafts, Copenhagen (Woldbye T. 2 Nr. 3) (shown below), which bears all scenes of plate 48. This allows us to conclude that the two Chinese man (the upright with the umbrella and the sitting with the tea cup) form the origin illustration. A rare Meissen Chinoiserie yellow-ground oval snuff box, circa 1730 Page 4

5 Back side of the box (plates 7 I 4 & 18 I 3) The painting reminds us of sheets 7 I 4 (tea drinking Chinese man) and 18 I 3 (man with crossed arms). The latter is also on an early beaker with Vermeil mounting painted by Höroldt (Christie s no. 5). A rare Meissen Chinoiserie yellow-ground oval snuff box, circa 1730 Page 5

6 Cover s exterior side (plates 12 iii 2 & 102 ii 5) The kneeling man resemble the figure on sheet 12 III 2, the other behind him, who is watching out, can be found on 102 II 5. A rare Meissen Chinoiserie yellow-ground oval snuff box, circa 1730 Page 6

7 A specific feature is the floral medallion on the underside of the box, which is very rare: Collection Joseph (Bonhams no. 1) Celadon ground, similar form, similar Chinoiserie scenes = Beaucamp-Markowsky (1985) no. 24; Beaucamp-Markowsky (1988) no. 6; Catalogue Röbbig no. 6 Catalogue Röbbig (2013 no. 17) From the Collection Mr. Charles W. Engelhard (Christie s New York no. 39) with so called Konsolchinesen Collection Marquis de F. (56. Stuker no plate 22) Yellow ground, similar form, similar Chinoiserie scenes A rare Meissen Chinoiserie yellow-ground oval snuff box, circa 1730 Page 7

8 Comparative Pieces There are two comparative pieces, which we have mentioned above. Both have the same form (model no. 2 after Beaucamp-Markowsky), the special floral medallion on the bottom and similar Chinoiserie scenes in quatrefoil panels on yellow or celadon ground: Comparative snuff-boxes of the Collections Joseph and Marquis de F. Furthermore there is a yellow-ground snuff-box in quatrefoil shape with similar Chinoiserie scenes, of which Pietsch attributed the painting to Christian Friedrich Herold (Catalogue Röbbig 2013 no. 16). A rare Meissen Chinoiserie yellow-ground oval snuff box, circa 1730 Page 8

9 Literature Bauer, Margrit: Deutsches Porzellan des 18. Jahrhunderts. Museum für Kunsthandwerk (Frankfurt 1983) Beaucamp-Markowsky, Barabra: Porzellandosen des 18. Jahrhunderts. (Munich 1985) Collection of 18th Century Porcelain Boxes. (Amsterdam 1988) Bursche, Stefan: Meissen Steinzeug und Porzellan des 18. Jahrhunderts. Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin (1980) Cassidy-Geiger, Maureen: The Arnhold Collection of Meissen Porcelain (London 2008) Heine, Axel: Porcelaens-Tabatièren i det 18. Aahundrede. (Kopenhagen 1937) Pietsch, Ulrich: Johann Gregorius Höroldt ( ) und die Meissener Porzellanmalerei. Dresden 1996 In: Meissener Tabatieren des 18. Jahrhunderts. Catalogue Röbbig (Munich 2013) Woldbye, Vibeke: Höroldt Chinoiserien und ihre Vorbilder im Schulz-Codex. Ein praktische Versuch mit Meissenporzellan im Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Kopenhagen. In KFS Mitteilungsblatt no. 99 (1984) Schulz-Codex: Behrends, Rainer: Das Meissener Musterbuch für Höroldt-Chinoiserien. Musterblätter aus der Malstube der Meisener Porzellanmanufaktur (Schulz-Codex). (Munich 1978) Exotische Welten: Der Schulz-Codex und das frühe Meissener Porzellan. Ausstellungskatalog Grassi Museum für Angewandte Kunst. (Leipzig 2010) Auction catalogue A Distinguished Collection of Early Meissen Porcelain. Christie s Auction catalogue The Helmut Joseph Collection. Bonhams Auction catalogue 56. Stuker A rare Meissen Chinoiserie yellow-ground oval snuff box, circa 1730 Page 9

10 Appendix Appendix Page 10

11 plates 43 I 1 & 65 I 3 Coffee pot of the Collection Dr. Schneider, Schloß Lustheim (Exotische Welten no. 43 b) and saucer of the Collection Arnhold (Cassidy-Geiger no. 78 A = Exotische Welten no. 43 a). Plate 47 ii 2 Saucer in the Museum für Kunsthandwerk Frankfurt (Bauer no. 25 = Exotische Welten no. 47b). Appendix Page 11

12 Plate 75 I 2 Snuff-box of the Collection Heine (1937 no. 8 (top) = Pietsch 1996 no. 127 (below)) and Höroldt tankard of the Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin (Bursche no. 57). Appendix Page 12

13 Plates 15 I 6 & 48 ii 1 & 102 ii 4 Bowl of the Museum of Arts and Crafts, Copenhagen (Woldbye plate 2 no. 3). The direct source of the scene with the umbrella holding man is, as mentioned above, sheet 48 II 1 (shown top right). Appendix Page 13