Frederick Augustus I, the Elector of Saxony and founder of the Meissen porcelain manufactory, appointed Johann Joachim Kändler as his court sculptor in 1731. Kändler regarded that ‘all in all, everything the heart desires can be made and created from porcelain’. From his first works, he demonstrated great skill and perseverance in creating complex models for sculpture and decoration, and a year after his arrival at Meissen, he was made master porcelain modeller. In around 1735, Kändler began encrusting objects with leaves, sculptural flowers and insects. This kettle was made in the mid-19th century, at a time when the manufactory was revisiting earlier techniques.
