This piece is modeled after a work created for the collection of German Elector-King Augustus the Strong (1670-1733); famous for his porcelain obsession and the palace he built to house it -- The Japanese Palace. After his own porcelain factory was opened at Meissen in 1710, Augustus became increasingly interested in the idea of Meissen surpassing Asian porcelain in quality. The culmination of this ambition was the incredible idea of a menagerie of life-size birds and animals made in porcelain. Menageries were an important component of displaying princely power, so perhaps it is not so surprising that a porcelain-crazed king should have commissioned a porcelain menagerie. Several of his palaces had animal enclosures, and when wild and exotic animals were displayed during pageants they were intended to astonish the crowds, but their display was also designed to demonstrate the king’s power over these magnificent creatures and thus his ability to bring order to the world.

The success of the project was dependent on the Modellmeister having not only the creativity, but also a deep understanding of the technical challenges that such an ambitious project would pose. The task was initially given to Gottlieb Kirchner, the first sculptor permanently employed by Meissen, and the creator this impressive fox. Kirchner was a difficult character, but he had valuable experience of working in porcelain which was essential to the early successes of the factory. Both Kirchner and assistant J.J. Kändler either studied their subjects from live beasts in the collection of the Mortizburg menagerie, the Dresden Löwenhaus, or sketched them from specimens in the Animaliengalerie at the Zwinger in Dresden.

The 1733 inventory for the Japanese Palace records that there were eight models of foxes made, of which it appears four were left in the white (see Sponsel, Kabinettstucke der Meissner Porzellan-manufaktur von Johann Joachim Kaendler, Leipzig, 1900, p. 91). The model is thoughtfully positioned for both structural integrity and enchantment. The fox's posture and the position of the hen and tree stump allowed for the large scale piece to maintain its own weight during the delicate firing process; but most endearingly, its posture and gaze indicate to the viewer that it is locked in on an unseen figure--possibly ashamed of its latest catch and unsure of the potential for praise or condemnation.

For a further examination of this model by Kirchner, see Samuel Wittwer, The Gallery of Meissen Animals: Augustus the Strong’s Menagerie for the Japanese Palace in Dresden, Munich, 2006, pp. 181-182. See also Christie's London, 10 July 2007, lot 158; and Christie's London, 14 June 2002, lot 350.