  About the Artwork
  
  
  In 1722 Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony, undertook an ambitious scheme to transform a Dresden residence into a "palace of porcelain." Renamed the "Japanese Palace" in honor of his immense collection of Asian ceramics, the palace was intended to display Meissen porcelain as well. For a 270 foot-long gallery, Augustus commissioned from Meissen monumental animal and bird sculptures, large painted vases, and architectural elements such as door frames and a small chapel.
Given this demanding task, Meissen hired its first chief modeler, Johann Gottlieb Kirchner, in 1727. Kirchner's early models for the Japanese Palace, such as the life-size bust of Saxon court jester Joseph Fröhlich, explored the technical limits of porcelain as a sculpture medium. In the expressive features and vigorous modeling, this baroque bust demonstrates Kirchner’s artistic mastery.
  
  
  Title
  Joseph Froehlich, Court Jester of Augustus the Strong
  
  
  Artwork Date
  1729 or 1730
  
  
  
  
  Makers
  
  
  After a model by Johann Gottlob Kirchner  (Artist)
  German, 1706-after 1737
  Meissen Porcelain Manufactory  (Manufacturer)
  German, founded 1710
  
  
  
  Medium
  Hard-paste porcelain
  
  
  Dimensions
  Overall: 20 × 15 1/2 × 12 inches (50.8 × 39.4 × 30.5 cm)
  
  
  Classification
  Ceramics
  
  
  Department
  European Sculpture and Dec Arts
  
  
  Credit
  Gift of Anne and Henry Ford II
  
  
  
  Accession Number
  
  
  
  This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection.
  Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings.
  For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups.
  
  
  
  59.295
  
  
  Copyright
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