A magnificently decorated porcelain tureen, originally for Maria Josepha of Austria, the wife of King Augustus III of Poland.

For Maria Josepha of Austria, wife of King Augustus III of Poland, a magnificently adorned porcelain soup tureen was created. It features double walls and an ornamentally pierced oval-shaped body supported by four curved legs.

The sides of the tureen are decorated with handles in the form of a sculpted female head with a feathered headdress. The rich sculptural ornamentation consists of small putti figures connected by garlands of flowers and drapery. On both sides of the tureen are shell-crowned cartouches, inside which Italian city views with figurative accessories are depicted. The matching lid is adorned with a fully sculptural handle in the form of a royal crown with an imperial orb on cushions, flanked by seated putti. Applied rocaille cartouches are placed around the tureen, featuring the coats of arms of the Polish-Lithuanian Crown alternating with those of Saxony, accompanied by gallant and hunting scenes. The inner side of the lid is decorated with a colorful floral relief. Polychrome painting and rich gilding are present. The interior walls are gilded. The author may be Johann Joachim Kändler.

Model No. B 136. Minor restoration. Crossed swords mark. Height 20.5 cm. The present version was created based on the model of a soup tureen commissioned by Maria Josepha of Austria (1699–1757), wife of King Augustus III of Poland, from Johann Joachim Kändler. This porcelain soup tureen served for "storing feathers, embroidery, and the like." See Zimmermann, Meissen Porcelain, 1924, p. 140; Ducret, Eighteenth-Century Porcelain, fig. 16, p. 31. A small, magnificently adorned porcelain soup tureen, originally for Maria Josepha of Austria, wife of King Augustus III of Poland.

Minor restoration.

Crossed swords. Meissen. Late 19th century.