Doctor Boloardo
Medium
Hard-paste porcelain
Dimensions
Height: 7 5/8 in. (19.4 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
German, Meissen
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Irwin Untermyer, 1964
Accession Number
64.101.71
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the whimsical *Doctor Boloardo*, a ca. 1738 hard-paste porcelain figurine crafted by Johann Joachim Kändler at the renowned Meissen Manufactory. Standing at 7 5/8 inches tall, this lively depiction of a male figure captures the theatrical flair of 18th-century European decorative arts. Meissen, the first European factory to produce true hard-paste porcelain in 1710, revolutionized the medium, rivaling Chinese imports with its durability and translucency. Kändler, Meissen's chief sculptor from 1731, mastered intricate modeling and vibrant polychrome enameling, bringing characters from c...