a large allegorical group, the sea goddess Amphitrite seated in a shell carriage, wearing a crown and carrying a sceptre in the left hand, strings of pearls and pearl bracelet set with gemstones, in the right hand a purple canvas arching over 3 amorettes, holding a laurel wreath, strings of beads, red coral branches, and shells, flanked by 1 mermaid with pearls in her hair, red coral branches in the left hand and dolphin reins in the right hand, yellow loincloth and base of the mermaid minimally chipped, in the foreground 1 Nereid, 1 with light purple hairband, in the left hand a coral necklace, 1 with pearls in her hair, wearing a reed garland with shells, followed by Glaucus, Amphitrite's protector, blue-turquoise wave base with dolphins, Triton blowing a shellhorn, with Cupid, shells, snail shell, tortoise, and a Triton boy with a fish in the left hand, porcelain, polychromed and gilt, 3 parts loose and numbered, insert sceptre, the base with gilt edging and light purple crossed ribbons, shell and acanthus relief heightened with gilt, turquoise and light purple, height: 48 cm, length: 60 cm, small restoration, Meissen, underglaze blue crossed swords, 2nd half 19th cent., model no. 2 on the parts, former no. 96, model by Johann Joachim Kändler 1772-1773 (Ru)

This allegorical group is part of the “Great Russian Commission” of Tsarina Catherine II, for the Palais Oranienbaum near St. Petersburg.

Lit.:
Meissen für die Zaren, Munich 2004, cat. no. 167, ill. 40, “Ever since Peter the Great, the Russian Navy was developed into an instrument to project military power which under Catherine the Great (1729–1796) was first successfully employed outside the Baltic in the war against the Ottoman Empire. Hence the first group conceived by Kaendler “Triumphant Sea Goddess Amphitrite" contains references to the Tsarina as ruler of the seas, e.g. in the crown and sceptre worn by Amphitrite, which identifies the goddess with the monarch.

Work reports of the Meissen porcelain modeller Johann Joachim Kändler 1706–1775, p 204–205 November and December 1772, p 206 January 1773; Amphitrite was in February 1773 followed by the 'companion piece' Neptune with model no. 1.”