Drum Bearer for the Monkey Band c. 1765

This pair of porcelain figurines from the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory depicts two monkeys dressed in 18th-century European clothing. The figure on the left, a trumpeter, wears a long, white coat over a pink and blue jacket, and the figure on the right, the "Drum Bearer," carries a pink drum slung over his shoulder. Meissen was the first European porcelain factory and these figures are an example of the factory's popular "monkey band" series. Made during the Rococo period, the figures demonstrate the playful and whimsical nature of the era and the use of animal subjects as a commentary on human behavior.