Lovers with a Birdcage 1737

This statuette, *Lovers with a Birdcage*, was made in the mid-18th century by Johann Joachim Kändler at the Meissen factory in Germany. It’s made of hard-paste porcelain, a notoriously difficult material, which, when fired, becomes exceptionally strong and glass-like. The process starts with kaolin clay, finely milled, combined with other ingredients, and then carefully molded. Consider the incredible skill it would have taken to form the figures, their elaborate costumes, and the delicate birdcage. The whiteness of the porcelain gives the figures an ethereal quality, while the hand-painted details bring them to life. Pieces like this were made possible by the industrialization of ceramics. Meissen was the first factory in Europe to master porcelain production and this piece reflects the culture of aristocratic collecting. These figures, with their intricate details, were luxury goods. The intense labor required for their production speaks to the vast social inequalities of the time. Ultimately, pieces like this challenge any clear separation of ‘art’ and ‘craft,’ revealing how deeply intertwined they really are.