Figure of Prince Christian of Hesse-Darmstadt
Kelsterbach Factory
(1761–1768)
about 1768
Object PlaceKelsterbach, Germany
Medium/TechniqueHard-paste porcelain
DimensionsHeight: 19.1 cm (7 1/2 in.)
Credit LineKiyi and Edward M. Pflueger Collection. Bequest of Edward M. Pflueger and Gift of Kiyi Powers Pflueger
Accession number2006.979
On View
On viewClassificationsCeramics
Collections
Christian was the youngest son of Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse Darmstadt, the patron of the Kelsterbach factory. The prince, aged four, poses in a tricorn hat and soldier's uniform.
ProvenanceAbout 1768, probably Ludwig VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (b. 1691 - d. 1768) or Ludwig IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (b. 1719 – d. 1790), Darmstadt, Germany (probably original commission) [see note 1]. By 1993, 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)
NOTES:
[1] Landgrave Ludwig VIII of Hesse-Darmstadt inaugurated the production of porcelain at the Klesterbach factory in 1761. His son and successor, Landgrave Ludwig IX of Hesse-Darmstadt, was the father of Prince Christian of Hesse-Darmstadt and patron of the factory. Klesterbach ceased production in1768, the year of Ludwig VIII's death.
NOTES:
[1] Landgrave Ludwig VIII of Hesse-Darmstadt inaugurated the production of porcelain at the Klesterbach factory in 1761. His son and successor, Landgrave Ludwig IX of Hesse-Darmstadt, was the father of Prince Christian of Hesse-Darmstadt and patron of the factory. Klesterbach ceased production in1768, the year of Ludwig VIII's death.
Zaccharias Dextra, proprietor of De Drie Vergulde Astonnekens factory
around 1725-1750
