Johann Joachim Kändler
(Fischbach/Arnsdorf 1706 - Meissen 1775)
Biography
Johann Joachim Kändler
Johann Joachim Kändler (1706–1775) was the most influential modeller of Meissen porcelain and a central figure in eighteenth-century European decorative arts. Trained first under the Dresden court sculptor Johann Benjamin Thomae, he entered the Meissen manufactory in 1731 and became chief modeller soon after. Kändler transformed porcelain into a sculptural medium, creating animals, court figures, Commedia dell’arte characters, mythological groups, table centrepieces and ambitious services that combined technical daring with Rococo wit. His models were admired for lively gesture, close observation and extraordinary detail, from feathers and fur to theatrical costume. His masterpiece, the Swan Service, commissioned in 1737 for Count Heinrich von Brühl, contained more than 2,200 pieces and remains one of Meissen’s greatest achievements. Through his long career, Kändler helped define the language of European porcelain, influencing factories from Vienna to Sèvres.