Bust of a female saint
Meissen Manufactory
(Germany)
Johann Joachim Kändler
(German, 1706–1775)
Guido Reni
(Italian, 1575–1642)
1743
Object PlaceMeissen, Germany
Medium/TechniqueHard-paste porcelain
DimensionsHeight: 33 cm (13 in.)
Credit LineKiyi and Edward M. Pflueger Collection. Bequest of Edward M. Pflueger and Gift of Kiyi Powers Pflueger
Accession number2006.937
On View
On viewClassificationsCeramics
Collections
This is from a series of fifteen saints produced at Meissen in 1743 and presented to Cardinal Annibale Albani in Rome. Some were unique sculptures, but others, including this, exist in several versions. They recall Italian silver reliquary busts, and it is possible that they were intended for use in Roman churches patronized by the Albani family. Holes on the back suggest that originally there was a metal halo above the saint's head.
Provenance1982, Alberto Colzi; April 1982, sold by Alberto Colzi to Edward M. Pflueger (b. 1905 - d. 1997) and Kiyi Powers Pflueger (b. 1915 - d. 2008), New York; 2006, bequest of Edward M. Pflueger and gift of Kiyi Powers Pflueger to the MFA. (Accession Date: April 26, 2006)
