748 - Pair of rare, large Meissen hunting figures: "Hunter and Falconer on Horseback"

Pair of rare, large Meissen hunting figures: "Hunter and Falconer on Horseback" Matching pair. Each features a slightly domed base surrounded by highly sculpted rocaille motifs and resting on four feet; the wide and narrow sides are adorned with four rocaille-framed cartouches depicting hunting scenes. Set against a naturalistic landscape with sculpted foliage, a female falconer in hunting uniform—wearing a tricorn, feathered headdress, and holding a bird of prey—sits atop a galloping white horse. As a pendant, the mounted parforce hunter is depicted as a piqueur wearing a tricorn and carrying a hunting horn. Both are accompanied by four hunting dogs surrounding them. Piqueur design by Joseph von Kramer, 1901/02. Model No. T 102.; Female Falconer design by Erich Hösel, 1910. Model No. V 132.; Dog figures are removable. Partially restored; minimal damage; sword mark. Height 39 cm. 41 cm x 22 cm. The sculptor and designer Joseph von Kramer (1841–1908), whose work was largely influenced by the Baroque style, first created the “Horseback Piqueur.” He studied at the Nuremberg Art School and the Munich Academy and is known for his monuments, fountains, and architectural sculpture. The sculptor Erich Hösel (1869–1953) studied at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts and later under Johannes Schilling and Robert Diez. In 1903, he was appointed head of the Meissen design department and was promoted to design director in 1912. Hösel’s diverse body of work includes both dynamically rendered, naturalistic animal figures in the modern style as well as models that reveal stylistic references to the 18th century. Thus, the “Falconer on Horseback” serves as an appropriate counterpart. See Berling, Festschrift, p. 107, fig. 301. A rare large pair of porcelain hunting groups depicting a piqueur and a female falconer accompanied by four dogs, modeled by J. v. Kramer and E. Hösel. Dog figures are removable. Counterparts. Partially restored. Minor chipping. Crossed swords mark. Meissen. Circa 1901–1924.