AN ASSEMBLED PAIR OF MEISSEN PORCELAIN ORMOLU-MOUNTED SOUTH AMERICAN PARROTS THE PORCELAIN CIRCA 1745, THE ORMOLU MID-18TH CENTURY

modelled by Johann Joachim Kändler, each colorful bird perched on a leafy tree stump with its head turned over its shoulder, mounted on an associated foliate scrollwork ormolu base.

Please note: the porcelain has not been examined beneath the mounts, which are associated to the figures. Parrot with red-tipped wings: the entire green portion of the bird's body is oversprayed as well as overpainted in places, the restoration most likely covering extended cracks or breaks to the body. The restoration is very well done and it is not possible to accurately determine the full extent of the damage beneath. Bird with the blue-tipped wings: the tail, part of one wing and the tip of the other are restored; and there is restoration to the applied leaves of the tree stump. The restoration is well done.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Three parrots of this model are illustrated by Rainer Rückert, Meissener Porzellan, pl. 266, nos. 1080, 1081 and 1082, as well as several smaller examples, pl. 267. The author discusses the modelling of the birds on p. 193, noting, that although several references are made to the modelling of parrots in Kändler's work records, none of these appear to correspond specifically to the present model.

A similar pair from the Wrightsman Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art was sold at Sotheby's New York, April 25, 1998, lot 66; a pair, holding cherries in their beaks, and mounted in ormolu as candelabra, was sold at Sotheby's New York, October 24, 2003, lot 43: and another pair also mounted in ormolu bases, from the Estate of Laurance S. Rockefeller, was also sold in these rooms, October 11, 2005, lot 194.