A collection of 18 Meissen porcelain figurines.

A collection of eighteen early Meissen porcelain figures from the "Cris de Paris" series (also known as Parisian street criers). The figures consist of gilded rocaille bases, partially decorated with plastic flowers and leaves. Among them are city criers with lanterns and schnapps bottles, grape and bird sellers, lemon and lemonade vendors, a nobleman, violinists, drummers, a farmer with a horn, a hunter with a dog and a flintlock, a vegetable seller, a female vendor with a filled basket, a hurdy-gurdy player, a female city crier with a triangle or scales. The polychrome painting is adorned with gold elements. Created by Peter Reinicke or Johann Joachim Kändler after 1753. Some are partially restored, bear the "Crossed Swords" marks, some partially blurred. Heights range from 14 cm to 15 cm. A rare collection of 18th-century city crier figures. The models are mainly based on drawings by Christophe Huet, most likely commissioned by the Parisian merchant Jean-Charles Huet. In the first series of city criers, created around 1745 by Peter Reinicke based on engravings by Anne-Claude-Philippe, Count of Caylus, after drawings by Edmé Bouchardon, the figures were made in sizes ranging from approximately 19 cm to 23 cm. Some 18th-century Meissen city criers are represented in national and international museums, including the Dresden interiors, the British Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. See Reinheckel, Weltkunst, 62, No. 9, p. 161 and following; Eberle, Cris de Paris; Meissen Porcelain Manufactory Catalogue, Figures I, Parisian City Criers, p. 1 and following. A collection of eighteen early Meissen porcelain figures of Parisian city criers from the "Cris de Paris" series. Model numbers are partially recorded. Partially restored. Crossed Swords mark, partially blurred. Meissen. Circa 1755–1770.