Beschreibung:

Figure en porcelaine représentant un danseur masqué des contes d'Hoffmann, Meissen, circa 1970 A Meissen figure of a masked dancer from Hoffmann's Tales, circa 1970Modelled by Paul Scheurich wearing a hat with long peak and feathers and holding a mask, the white tunic with ruff collar and blue buttons, with a sword at the rear and puce slippers, the oval base moulded with ferns and grass, 26.8cm high, crossed swords mark in underglaze-blue, impressed model number A.1194, impressed Bossierer's number 88 and date code for 1970, painter's numeral 9 in blackFootnotesExhibited: Meissen, Museum der Meissen Porzellan-Stiftung, Paul Scheurich Porzellangestalter Zeichner Grafiker, 6 March 2020-21 February 2021 Jacques Callot's engravings had been a source of inspiration for the Meissen manufactory in the early 18th century. Paul Scheurich was also fascinated by the sculptural and artistic qualities of Callot's engravings, as well as the costumes, and they provided inspiration not only for several of his porcelain figures but also his costume designs for a production of Jacques Offenbach's opera, 'Hoffmans Erzählungen', in the Großes Schauspielhaus in Berlin in 1932. The model for this figure was completed by the end of 1931 and was purchased by the Meissen manufactory for RM 1,500 the following year. It was first produced in porcelain in 1933, but - following the departure from Meissen of Max Adolf Pfeiffer - Scheurich ignored requests to design the colouring until the appointment of Wolfgang Müller von Baczko as Director in 1937. A coloured example was exhibited at the Hetjens-Museum in 1938 but only a single sale Scheurich's lifetime in 1944 is recorded (Rafael 1995, no. 51).