Lot 363

Condition as per report from Christie's 2015 below, there are no further condition issues to mention.
Harlequin's left foot has been broken off through the ankle and restored with some filling and overpainting to the ankle and regilding to hem of trouser. The tip of Beltrame's left shoe is restored. Beltrame's left hand has a restored thumb and index finger and Columbine's right hand little finger is also a restored replacement. There are tiny chips to the yellow bow at her left elbow and some minute chips to edge of that sleeve. Tiny chips to the bow on her hat. There is a firing fault to the red enamel of the cape on which they sit where it shows discoloured near the base. There are typical small chips and losses to the flower petals and the tips of the leaves applied to the base. Some very, very slight wear to gilding.
The underside of the base is partially covered in the centre by a patch of heavy brown wax which is easily removable. There is a red wax seal applied to the back of the base impressed faintly with a crowned shield with two chevrons flanked by birds (?).
Overall in good order with strong painting and enamels. Restoration is fairly minor and well executed.



The opinions expressed in the condition reports are a guide only and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Prospective buyers are encouraged to seek further information or request additional images during our pre-sale period where Leonard Joel staff are available for advice. Please note condition reports can be amended during the pre-sale period, so we strongly suggest any interested bidders check the published condition report available on the website before the auction commences. Leonard Joel makes no guarantee of the originality of mechanical or applied components. Absence of reference to such modifications does not imply that a lot is free from modifications.

Private collection, Avenue Montaigne, Paris, c.1890-1930
Christies, London, "Centuries of Style: Silver, European Ceramics, Portrait Miniatures and Gold Boxes", 1-2 December 2015, lot 47
The Robert Compton Jones Collection, Sydney

Eisenbeiss, E. P, German Porcelain of the 18th Century, London, 1972, pp. 268-269.

Bawdy humour was used by the commedia actors to punctuate their performance and this required a mastery of comedic timing. In this group Kändler captured a moment at the height of the comic action when Harlequin peeps up the skirt of the distracted Columbine. Meredith Chilton suggests that the group could have been derived from a blend of two separate print sources. The couple's pose could be derived from one of Petrus Schenck's engravings of Columbine seated on Harlequin's lap, taken from a series of twelve engravings, 'Les Amours de Columbine', which show Columbine 'paired in amorous positions with almost every male member of the troupe'. Harlequin's pose could be based on Gregorio Lambranzi's engraving from 'The New and Eccentric School of Theatrical Dancing', where Harlequin is shown 'concealed' on the ground and reaching up 'in order to steal from an unsuspecting blind beggar'. (Chilton, M, Harlequin Unmasked, The Commedia dell'Arte and Porcelain Sculpture, Singapore, 2001, p. 138, fig. 225 and pp. 304-305, where the example of this model in the George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, Toronto, is also illustrated, no. 93).

A similar group was sold at Christie's London on 18 November 2008, lot 121.