Lot Essay
These celebrated birds were modelled by Johan-Joachim Kändler for Gräffin Herfort and are first recorded in Kändler's Taxa for December 1742, where they are described as '1 Hahn und 1 Henne von feiner Grösse welche für die Gräfin Herfort bestellet worden, gehörgermassen zerschnitten und zum abformen gegeben'.
A related pair was sold anonymously at Sotheby's Monaco, 17 June 1988, lot 642 (Ffr. 155,400), while a further example of the cockerel is illustrated in C. Albiker,Die Meissner Porzellantiere im. 18. Jahrhundert, 1959, no.119 and another hen is discussed in Y. Hackenbroch, Meissen and other Continental Porcelain, Faience and Enamel in the Urwin Untermyer Collection, 1956, pl.9, fig. 17.
A related pair was sold anonymously at Sotheby's Monaco, 17 June 1988, lot 642 (Ffr. 155,400), while a further example of the cockerel is illustrated in C. Albiker,Die Meissner Porzellantiere im. 18. Jahrhundert, 1959, no.119 and another hen is discussed in Y. Hackenbroch, Meissen and other Continental Porcelain, Faience and Enamel in the Urwin Untermyer Collection, 1956, pl.9, fig. 17.