The Dresden porcelain collection is one of the most significant in the world. Its history is connected with the name of Elector Augustus the Strong, who was so obsessed with porcelain that he called his passion for collecting “porcelain disease”. It was she who allowed the elector to collect in his collection many unique porcelain products from different countries.

Meissen porcelain menagerie. The story of one grandiose order of Augustus the Strong

But Augustus the Strong’s most ambitious project was the impressive porcelain menagerie conceived by the elector in 1728 or 1730. Domestic and wild animals and birds were to be made life-size by the craftsmen of the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory and exhibited in the Japanese Palace on the banks of the Elbe.

The order for the manufacture of porcelain animals and birds was received by the Meissen porcelain manufactory in 1730 and was unprecedented not only for it, but for any ceramic production of the 18th century. The manufactory was to create 236 animals of 37 varieties and 292 birds of 36 varieties in life size or close to it. For a number of reasons, the order was not completed in full, only about half of all the figures managed to be made. In the inventory list of the Japanese Palace in 1736, 159 animals and 319 birds appear. Probably, other figurines not related to the menagerie also went into their number, since 115 bird figurines are known to have been created for him.

So, August ordered to make life-size animals and the Meissen specialists had to think about how to do it. The standard porcelain mass that was used at the manufactory was not strong enough to make figures of this size. After a series of experiments, a solution was found – crushed pieces of fired porcelain were added to the porcelain mass, but even then large figures continued to crack due to shrinkage during firing. Numerous cracks can be seen on some of the figures today.

Sculptors

The work on the menagerie was entrusted to two Meissen fashion sculptors – Johann Gottlieb Kirchner, who had been working at the manufactory for three years already, and Johann Joachim Kaendler, who had recently been hired to help him. They began creating models of large animals in the second half of the 1730s and by the autumn of 1731 presented several first models, among which were probably a lion and a lioness, made in porcelain in August-December 1732.

The lion and lioness were one of the largest animals in the order and are notable for the fact that compositionally they are a couple – the posture of the lioness is a mirror image of the posture of the lion and their eyes are turned to each other.

The rest of Kirchner’s animals are no less expressive. And a bear, which seems to be sad or embarrassed by something, and a fox slyly looking up with a bird in its mouth, and a cat gracefully licking its paw, and, especially, a group of funny monkeys.

Kendler

Making figures for the porcelain menagerie of Augustus the Strong was Candler’s first major project, in which his skill was clearly manifested. Since the dismissal of Kirchner, for the next 40 years he will head the model workshop of the Meissen porcelain manufactory, and in addition, he will be awarded the honorary court position of “arcanist”, that is, the keeper of the secret of the porcelain formula.

In the 1740s, it was he who developed a new genre of small porcelain figurines, brightly painted and glazed, called fine porcelain figurines.

All over the world today, his numerous series of human figures on allegorical, mythological, pastoral, oriental themes, series of characters from the commedia dell’arte and representatives of different segments of the population (artisans, hunters, soldiers, robbers, merchants), etc. are known.

The porcelain collection moved to the Zwinger in the late 1950s. And in 2006 – 2010, the famous New York architect Peter Marino developed a new exposition design for several halls of the museum (including the “Hall of Animals”), inspired by the personality of the porcelain collector Augustus the Strong and his time.