Autumn figure group

Johann Carl Schönheit, Meissen, Germany, ca. 1780, later execution

Glazed white porcelain

H: 21 cm

Markings: “AR” in blue

UMP 7687

Purchased for the museum from F. Kutvirt of Pilsen in 1886, the figure group has been designated a Meissen forgery.

“Autumn” figure group from the Four Seasons series. The theme originated from Johann Joachim Kändler; Johann Carl Schönheit added further attributes – here a goat, flute, and grapes symbolising autumn. This figure group was executed as a candlestick (?) at a later time, perhaps in the late-nineteenth century, and is marked with the monogram (AR) – which is reserved for exceptional porcelain pieces made between 1725 and 1736, late in the reign of Elector Friedrich Augustus II.

Autumn, Johann Carl Schönheit, ca. 1780, Meissen, Germany. A variation on the group in the porcelain manufacturer’s current product range.