104 - Large, magnificent Meissen "Fire" Element Vase from the "Four Elements" series

Large, magnificent Meissen "Fire" Element Vase from the "Four Elements" series Shaped like a jug. Above an oval base, a bulbous body with a stepped, tapered neck that transitions into a volute-shaped spout. A side-curving handle in the shape of a dragon with a seated cupid. Relief to fully sculpted decoration featuring attributes representing fire. On the shoulder and the body, the element is figuratively embodied by the Roman god Vulcan with a bellows. The central section of the body features, on both sides, a scenic depiction of a blazing forest fire with fleeing forest animals on one side and a volcanic eruption in a mountainous landscape on the other. The neck features scattered motifs of lizards and flowering branches on a white background. Polychrome painting with rich gold accents. Designed by Johann Joachim Kaendler, 1741/42. Repaired/restored; Meissen. Sword mark. Height: 61.5 cm. The original version in white porcelain was part of a five-piece set given as a gift by Augustus III, son of Augustus the Strong, to King Louis XV of France; Due to the political situation resulting from the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748), the element vases remained in Dresden and can now be viewed in a new display in the reconstructed porcelain cabinet in the tower room of the Dresden Royal Palace. See Loesch, Cat. *The Porcelain Cabinet*, figs. 2, 4; State Art Collections in Dresden, Inv. No. PE 101a. A monumental, jug-shaped, finely painted porcelain vase representing the element of fire, with applied and painted decoration referring to the god Vulcan and his realm. Repaired/restored. Marked with crossed swords. Meissen. Second half of the 19th century.