Single Figurine Monkey Porcelain Painter

Artists from various disciplines regularly collaborate with Meissen craftsmen on contemporary works, driving the manufactory to artistic excellence. This select group also includes Tricia Zimic with her "Diligence Kintsugi", a series of seated baboons dedicated to "Kintsugi", a traditional Japanese repair method for ceramic and porcelain fragments.
During a visit to the manufactory over ten years ago, the American sculptor and painter was particularly impressed by Kaendler's famous "Monkey Chapel" from 1753. Such great attention to detail, such sophisticated facial expressions and gestures! While Kaendler's musicians 300 years ago were a satirical allegory of the courtly society of the time, Tricia Zimic's baboon for the manufactory is also a narrative stand-in for its unfolding dramas. In their own way, both artists hold up a social mirror to us in the finely crafted details of their figures. In this way, "Diligence Kintsugi" carries the great tradition and perfection of Meissen craftsmanship into the next artistic century.
Inspired by our great master of the art of embossing, the American artist and her resting baboon have now themselves become the source of inspiration for a new work. Instead of repairing the porcelain as in Zimic's unique original, our "porcelain maker" decorates his own porcelain with fine gold painting with calm expression and great care. The small vessels of the original have been replaced by typical Meissen service pieces. And so the circle closes again in a wonderful way.
Photo artist: Image rights River Towns Magazine / Laura Billings