Figure of a Girl
c. 1790
Medium
Hard-paste porcelain, polychrome enamels, and gilding
Dimensions
H.: 13.7 cm (5 3/8 in.)
Classification
sculpture
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
20223
Art Historical Context
Created around 1790 by the Limbach Porcelain Factory, this delicate *Figure of a Girl* exemplifies the refined decorative arts of late eighteenth-century. Standing just over five inches tall, the sculpture was designed as a charming tabletop ornament, reflecting the period’s taste for elegant, intimate objects that brought beauty into domestic spaces. Produced in hard-paste porcelain with vibrant polychrome enamels and delicate gilding, it showcases the technical mastery achieved by European factories competing with Asian imports. Hard-paste porcelain, once a closely guarded secret, allowed a...