Minneapolis Institute of Art

America

Modeler: Johann Joachim Kändler; Manufacturer: Meissen Porcelain Factory

Date

c. 1745

Medium

Hard-paste porcelain

Department

European Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

This allegorical figure of America from a set of continents is attributed to one of Meissen's most important sculptors, Johann Joachim Kaendler (1706-1775), whose principal contribution lay in the area of porcelain figurines. Here, America is portrayed as a idealized semi-nude Native American woman, who is depicted in regal garb among some of her attributes, animals and plants native to the American continent. Europeans of the period perceived America as an exotic and fertile land, populated by unusual peoples and animals such as the alligator and the parrot. Indeed, animals were a common motif for Kaendler, who even produced some life-size porcelain specimens. His works are prized for their lively, Baroque expressivity and are based on careful study of nature. They stand at the high point of Meissen design. Germany

The authoritative record is held by Minneapolis Institute of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.