Bidspirit auction | Frankenthal Commedia Dell'Arte Pantalone Figure

Frankenthal Commedia Dell'Arte Pantalone Figure - Frankenthal, Germany. Porcelain Commedia Dell'Arte figure of Pantalone, ca. 1760. The bearded figure wearing an apricot suite and pink cloak with a dagger tucked into his yellow belt. Blue rampant lion and monogram. Provenance: Christie's, London, ”Continental Ceramics, ” October 5, 1987, Lot 139; The Distinguished Collection of Leo & Doris Hodroff. This figure represents a character from the Italian Commedia dell'arte, a type of improvised comic drama or street theater popular in Europe. These types of figurines gained popularity with Meissen figures modelled in the 1730s-1740s by J.J. Kandler as well as Peter Reinicke. Kandler's probable attendance at performances appears in his characteristically expressive facial features and the theatrical vitality of the engaging figures. It is these features that made them highly popular both when they were first released through to the present day. Other porcelain manufacturers soon followed suite producing similar figures from the vast canon of characters present in these productions. Height: 4 3/4 in x width: 2 1/2 in x depth: 2 1/2 in. Condition: There are repaired breaks to the figure's neck and hands that fluoresce under UV light, corresponding to flaking and losses to the glaze. There is a loss along the lower left hem of the man's shirt, as well as to the applied ribbons along the figure's shins. There is a small chip along the lower edge of the cloak as well as fleabite chips to the scalloped element along the lower edge of the base, behind the man's right foot. There is possibly a fragment or compenent loose within the piece, audibly noticeable when the piece is handled.