Live Auction 6753CONTINENTAL CERAMICS
A Meissen figure of St. John Nepomuk
Lot 136

A Meissen figure of St. John Nepomuk

CIRCA 1750

Price Realised

GBP 956

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A Meissen figure of St. John Nepomuk
Circa 1750
With a radiating gilt halo, wearing a collared white surplice edged with gilt scrolls over a long gilt-edged black cassock, a gilt-edged puce stole with purple dots and gilt crosses hanging from his neck, his left arm raised up holding a gilt crucifix, his right hand raised up in blessing, standing on a waisted square plinth with canted corners and edged with gilt lines, the front three panels finely moulded and incised with scrolls and lappets (halo, crucifx, two right fingers and rear right-hand corner of base restored, head restuck, minute wear to black enamel, slight wear to gilding, two small areas of re-touching to edge of surplice possibly covering small chips)
6 7/8 in. (17.5 cm.) high

Specialist note

St John of Nepomuk (circa 1345-1393) was born in Pomuk (Nepomuk) in Bohemia, and became the vicar-general to the Bishop of Prague. John and the Dean of Kladruby Abbey thwarted a plan by King Wenceslas IV to appoint a favourite as the next Abbot, by appointing a new Abbot as soon as the previous ageing Abbot had died. The King received the news of the old Abbot's death and new appointment simultaneously, and he flew into a rage, reputedly attacking the Dean with his sword-hilt and setting John's robes alight. John survived, but was subsequently tied to a wheel and thrown to his death in the river Moldau. He was canonized over three centuries later in 1729 by Pietro Francesco Orsini, Benedict XIII.