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A very rare Meissen large figure of the 'Hubertushirsch' (Stag of St. Hubert) 1927-34
Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 USD
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Description
- height 35in. (89cm)
modelled by Max Esser, the white stag standing on a high shaped base, a mound of stylized foliage beneath its body and a radiant cross between its horns, picked out in green enamel and gilding, signed M. Esser 1927, and III, stag and base both with crossed swords and dot marks in underglaze-blue. Minor restoration to tips of horns.
Catalogue Note
Max Esser (1885-1943) was a freelance sculptor and animalier working for the Meissen manufactory in the 1920s and 30s. His stylish and often stylized animal models met with much praise from critics but many were not commercially successful, and large examples such as the present piece were often produced in only very small numbers.
The present model is inspired by the legend of St. Hubert. As a young man Hubert was out hunting on a Good Friday when he was suddenly confronted by the vision of a white stag bearing a crucifix between its antlers, which inspired his conversion to Christianity. Hubert subsequently became Bishop of Maastricht, and later of Liège, and is now known as the patron saint of hunters.