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[April 2003]
Vital Ceramic Acquisition by V&A
The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has just reported the acquisition
of a magnificent life-size early 18th century Meissen porcelain sculpture of
a King Vulture, thanks to generous support from the Heritage Lottery Fund,
the National Art Collections Fund and the Friends of the V&A.The provenance of the sculpture, its aesthetic and technical achievement and
its early date make it the most important ceramic acquisition made by the
V&A in recent decades. The cost was in excess of £500,000: this vulture was
offered at auction in June 2002 and was stopped at export in September.Mark Jones, the Director of the V&A, said: "We are delighted that the V&A
has been able to acquire this rare Meissen sculpture. It is part of a group
of Meissen animals that are among the most important and ambitious early
European porcelain productions. It is a rare, painted sculpture and its
colouring is the best preserved in existence. We are grateful to the
Heritage Lottery Fund, the National Art Collections Fund and the Friends of
the V&A for making this acquisition possible".Dating from 1731, the sculpture is by Kändler, probably the greatest ceramic
modeller of the 18th century, according to the V&A. Kändler was responsible
for modelling most of the Meissen animals, including the V&A's 'Billy Goat',
acquired in 1932 and on display in the Ceramics Gallery.The vulture is from the porcelain menagerie commissioned by Augustus the
Strong, Elector of Saxony, for the 'Japanese Palace' in Dresden. This
commission is one of the great landmarks in ceramic history. Nearly 600
life-size animals were planned and at least 458 of them were made. Work
began in 1730, only 20 years after Meissen had become the first European
factory to make porcelain in the Chinese manner.Augustus had specified that the animals should have their natural colours.
Normally, this would be achieved by the use of enamels. However, the
factory technicians thought it too risky to subject the largest models to
the heat of an enamel firing, so instead they partly painted them in bright,
unfired pigments. Such colours rarely survive as they discolour over time
and have often been completely removed. The vulture's original colouring is
the best preserved in existence.During the 19th century a number of duplicates of the animals were sold from
the royal collections at Dresden. This vulture is one of the 10 models
which subsequently entered the collections at Longleat, England.
ENDS