Figure of a boy with a bird in a cage c. 1767 - 1775

This figure of a boy with a bird in a cage was made by Höchst, using porcelain. The figure is made of hard-paste porcelain, which allows for finely detailed molding and painting. The colors are bright and clear, because the pigment particles bond very well with the paste. Notice the smoothness of the surface, with just enough texture to bring the figure to life. The material’s delicacy invites a certain preciousness, reflecting a Rococo sensibility of elegance and lightness. Porcelain production was a complex undertaking that relied on intense manual labour, from mining clay to modelling, firing, and painting. Given the expense of production and high value of porcelain objects such as this, they were initially reserved for aristocratic elites. As the material became more accessible to a wider public, porcelain figures became emblems of refined taste, reflecting a growing culture of consumption. This figure embodies the intersection of artistic skill, industrial production, and social aspirations, blurring boundaries between art and craft.