Rare paire de figures en porcelaine de Meissen représentant un sultan et une sultane, circa 1745-50

A rare pair of Meissen figures of the Sultan and Sultana, circa 1745-50 and later

Probably modelled by J.J. Kaendler and P. Reinicke, the Sultan wearing a fur-lined pale yellow cape, a blue-lined puce tunic with purple and gilt flowers and a white a gilt sash with a dagger to his left, yellow trousers and red shoes; the Sultana, decorated in the 19th century, wearing a blue headdress with white veil, fur-lined long coat, puce-lined pale yellow tunic with gilt and purple flowers and a jewelled belt, and red shoes, the bases applied with leaves and flowers, 22cm high, crossed swords marks in underglaze-blue to rear edge and underside of base, respectively, (his head restuck, her left hand restored) (2)
Footnotes:
The figure of the Sultana is based on pl. 3, La Sultane Asseki, ou Sultane Reine, in the Comte de Ferriol's 'Receuil de cent estampes représentant différentes nations du Levant. . . . ', Paris 1714, or the edition published in German by Christoph Weigel the Elder in Nuremberg in 1719. It is not clear which of the series was used as a source for the Sultan, though it may have been pl. 3, 'Tchelebi, jeune seigneur turc'.

Another example of the Sultan is in the Professor Klaus J. Thiemann Collection, Hetjens Museum (W. Beckmann, In Fürstlichen Diensten Komödianten, Sultane und Pagoden aus Meissener Porzellan (n.d.), p. 42. Another pair of figures of the Sultan and Sultana is in the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg (inv. nos. 1922.136 and 1922.137).

Sultan:
His head is cleanly restuck and there is overpainting around is neck.
There are some narrow areas of retouched flaking to the blue enamel on the inside of his tunic: two areas along the edge of the fold along his right leg (in line with the right knee, and just below); there are four smaller areas of retouching to the outer edge of the cloak (below the tip of the dagger); there is a small area of retouching along the fold of the cloak alongside his left leg (just below the knee), and another narrow, ca. 1.5cm long, area of retouched flaking to the bottom outer edge of the robe on his left side. There are some typical minor chips to the applied leaves on the base.

Sultana:
Her left hand is restored and was probably restuck at the wrist (associated spray residue is visible under UV light to the left forearm and there is some restoration to the left purple cuff of her sleeve). There are a few scattered tiny spots of wear to the gilt edge of her tunic. There is some restoration/retouching to approx. 2/3 of the leaves on the base, and a few tiny chips.

Otherwise in good condition.