A Meissen porcelain figure of a seated tri-colour cat, circa 1740

Sold Sotheby’s Geneva, 10 May 1988, lot 30;

Where acquired

Note:

Kändler's Taxa, or work records, for September 1736 mention: “2 Stück Kleine Katzgen aufs Lager in Thon poussiret, davon eine sitzend, die andere aber, wie sie eine Maus im Moule hat vorgestellet ist.” [2 small cats modelled in clay for the warehouse, of which one is seated, but the other, presented as if it has a mouse in its mouth], see U. Pietsch, Die Arbeitsberichte des Meissener Porzellanmodelleurs Johann Joachim Kaendler 1760-1775, Leipzig, 2002, p. 41. The Taxa of overtime work for 1740-44 also records: “1 Katze sitzend eine Maus in dem Maule haltend und damit spielend, 2 Thlr. 12g.” [1 cat seated holding a mouse in its mouth and playing with it…], together with its companion. An example of the figure with a mouse is illustrated in C. Albiker, Die Meissner Porzellantiere im 18. Jahrhundert, Berlin, 1959, p. 24, no. 216. Four large cats were listed in the 1753 inventory of Count Brühl's Conditorei, see M. Kunze-Köllensperger, Sammlung Ritter Kempski von Rakoszyn: Meissener Porzellan des 18. Jahrhunderts, 2008, pp. 79-81, no. 53, where a pair is illustrated. The Livre-journal of the marchand-mercier Lazare-Duvaux lists two cats, supplied to “Monsieur Le Premier” [Principle equerry to the King] in December 1752: “deux figures de Saxe, deux chats...” (entry no. 1284). A pair on gilt-bronze mounts from the Property of the Collection of Sir Gawaine and Lady Baillie was sold at Sotheby's London, 1 May 2013, lot 202. A further gilt-bronze-mounted pair was in the Collection of Nelson A. Rockefeller and sold at Sotheby’s New York, 11 April 1980, lot 170.