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Frederick the Great
Page 4
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Beautiful Porcelain Figure of the Great Prussian King as Musician Extraordinaire (Item FRED 4-1) |
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| DESCRIPTION: Frederick the Great is known to be one of the greatest military geniuses of all time. He was also the archetype of the enlightened ruler. He was indeed not only the great Warrior King, but he was indeed not only the protector of the arts and sciences, but also brought to this court some of the best minds of the 18th century. He himself was an accomplished flute player, composer, and writer. In spite of the carnage wrought in the bloody battles of the campaigns he led in the various wars he was first a man of culture personified. He was one of the most powerful rulers of 18th-century Europe, but being a musician and patron of the arts meant as much to him as his conquests. The enthusiasm that he openly displayed for the music of the flute was far-reaching. This King as ruler of Prussia went far to heighten the standard of musical culture in all of Europe, but naturally it was Berlin and Prussia that appreciated his musical accomplishments, one of which was to establish an important Berlin school for flute in the history of music. The musical characteristics of this ruler’s flute compositions present the transitional styles between the Baroque and Classical period, in which the refined structure of the flute instrument reflects its features. The compositions of the King provided a vast literature for flute repertoire in the 1700s. The porcelain figure that we present here is also in fine tradition—the wonderful Saxon art of porcelain-figure creations. The piece is in hard-paste porcelain, developed by Johan Frederick Böttger, 1682-1719, who was literally kidnapped by Augustus the Strong of Saxony (you can look this up on the internet; a fascinating tale). This is one of the final pieces turned out by one of the Saxon companies; probably around 1870 or so. The gold application is very unusual and during the past “Kaiserzeit” empires this was the most expensive form of the ceramic arts. The figure measures about 16 1/2 inches high and the base is 4 1/2 inches around in an octagon shape. Under the base there is a crossed-swords configuration that would put one in mind of Meissen porcelain although other Dresden manufacturers used this mark as well. Regardless of what company made it this in our opinion is a masterpiece of the art. The artist has captured the face of a happy King as he indulges in his favorite pastime. The two-tone gold and pure white sets this off as a very wonderful figure. That is both beautiful and important to Germanic history.
PRICE: $1,200.00; the finest |
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Equestrian Statue in Bronze of Frederick the Great of Prussia, 1712-1786 (Item FRED 4-2; KSTATUES 4-7) |
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| DESCRIPTION: Here is a beautifully executed genuine bronze of “Der alte Fritz,” as King Frederick II of Prussia was known in his senior years. He was known as one of the most enlightened monarchs in European history. He was King of Prussia from 1740 to 1786 and was of the Hohenzollern Dynasty, Prince Elector of the Holy Roman Empire. He truly did fit the title of Frederick the Great. Much about the great King can be found on the internet. Do look at all our other Frederick offerings on these pages. This statue in bronze is wonderfully detailed with a beautiful patina. It's mounted on a fine granite plinth, and just above this is a bronze plinth with 18th-century-style detailing with female figures at each axis. It's almost identical to the huge statue of Frederick by C. D. Rauch in 1851, one of the greatest sculptures of the 19th century. The huge equestrian stands in the middle of Berlin's “Unter den Linden.” The statue we have and the Berlin statue depict the King riding on his favorite horse Condé. Around his shoulders are his coronation robes. The major difference is that while the original's base has the life-size figures and men of politics, art, and science, the small statue we offer has a much more humble base. But the word humble definitely does not apply to the statue itself. It is bold and dramatic, just as Frederick himself was. The sculpture measures 10 inches high from the bottom of the granite to the top of his three-cornered hat. The granite base is 9 inches long and about 5 1/3 inches wide. The horse measures about 7 inches from the tail to snout. The face and uniform look good under normal visage and inspection, but shows a bit of caster’s blemish here and there. All in all this is just a really great sculpture and one that you will be exceedingly proud to place on your desk or mantle. This is a great tribute to a great statesman and warrior!
PRICE: $1,200.00 |
Page Four |
Please refer to item designator in parentheses in all correspondence.
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