FINE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART
Royal Splendour
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An
extremely fine Meissen Teacaddy and cover, of shouldered rectangular
shape, each side painted with a scene from a Royal Saxon Hunt, the front
shows a hind and two young deers suckling, standing before a moss covered
tree infront of a formal garden with spouting cascade, framed within a
brown and gold rocaille base, to the right a Royal huntsman dressed in the
yellow jacket and holding a hunting horn stands by his deer hound which
looks back left towards the panel containing the deer. The reverse with a
pair of brown bears, another silhouetted behind, one climbing a pine tree,
the other biting a stump, within a forest, framed with similar brown and
gold rocaille scrolls, to the right a seated man wearing a puce carmine
jacket looses his mastiffs, the slightly domed shoulder painted with three
sprigs of European flowers, and gilt line rim, the cover with very small
landscape scenes and similar three floral sprigs, with alpine strawberry
finial.
Circa 1745.
Height: 5 ins. (12.5 cms.)
Mark: crossed swords mark in underglaze blue to the underside of the base.
It is very interesting to note that the panels on every side are related and the viewer can see the Huntsman, his dogs and them looking toward the intended ‘quarry’. The huntsman on the side panel with the deer hounds is wearing the Saxon yellow coat of the Royal Hunt. The rocaille scrolls heightened in gold frame the scenes mimicing the root systems of the trees that frame each scene is their coulis. The strawberry finial is a feature that meant an ostentatious abundance in the language of flowers and fruit in the eighteenth century, this feature may perhaps refer to the richness and expense of the tea within the caddy.