porcelain, polychromed and gilt, 22 items: guitar player height: 14,5 cm, flutist with transverse flute height: 13,5 cm, hurdy gurdy player height: 14,5 cm, flutist with red jacket height: 13,5 cm, trumpet player height: 14 cm, harpist height: 12,5 cm, violinist height: 13,5 cm, bag piper height: 13,5 cm, bass drummer height: 15,5 cm, bass drum porter height: 13 cm, bassoonist height: 14,5 cm, bass violinist height: 12 cm, triangle player height: 14,5 cm, pianist height: 12,5 cm, flutist with drum height: 14,7 cm, Kapellmeister Height: 16,5 cm, with music stand height: 9 cm 20th cent., French horn player height: 15 cm, singer with green dress height: 13 cm, singer with bonnet and blue band height: 12,5 cm, singer with bonnet and red band height: 12,5 cm, singer with pink dress height: 12,5 cm, singer with white dress and purple bow Height: 12,5 cm, singer with blue ribbons on dress and bonnet Height: 12 cm, 2nd quality, singer with yellow dress Height: 12,5 cm, few small restorations; Meissen, blue and underglaze blue crossed swords, 2nd half 19th cent., model by Johann Joachim Kändler ca. 1747 (Ru)

Lit.:
VEB Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen, This series of musical monkeys, modelled by Johann Joachim Kändler, are based on French models dating to ca. 1750. The male monkeys are depicted as musicians, the female monkeys as singers. The Monkey Orchestra was brought up to date in 1765 by Peter Reinicke. According to tradition, they represent a caricature of the orchestra employed by Count Brühl.