AN ASSEMBLED PAIR OF MEISSEN FIGURES OF MALABARS CIRCA 1745-50

modelled by Johann Friedrich Eberlein, each wearing a pale yellow conical hat, the man standing with a shield beside him, a quiver of arrows suspended from his shoulder and a sword from his waist, the woman supporting a basket of fruit against her right hip and carrying a covered basket in her left hand, the woman with crossed swords mark in underglaze-blue, incised numerals 45 and 11 (?).

Sotheby's New York, October 21, 1993, lots 18 and 19

Male figure: the tip of his hat has been broken and restored; there is a tiny abrasion/chip to the end of his nose; the grip of his sword has been broken away; some minor occasional wear to the gilding; and there is a minor firing crack running down the side of the base to his right. Female figure: some minor chips to applied leaves; the covered basket appears to have been partially or wholly broken away and restored back into place; the handle of the same basket is restored; there is a long firing-related fine forking crack running from beneath her sash to the edge of her gown on one side and to the edge of her ermine-lined robe on the other; another minor fine haircrack across the outstretched portion of the robe at the back of the figure and a minor short haircrack to the robe at the back, behind the covered basket..
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

A pair of figures of these models, on mound bases, is illustrated in Rainer Rückert, Meissener Porzellan, pl. 210, nos. 984 and 985, where an entry from Meissen's work records for August 1746 is cited, stating that the female figure was being modelled for Count von Brühl: "1 Figur, ein Indianisch Weibel ¾ Elle grosz mit 2 Körben vorstellend, für Sr. H. R. Gr. etc. v. Brühl zu boussiren angefangen". It is interesting to note that the male figure was modelled well after the female figure, as indicated by their respective model numbers, 823 and 764. An assembled pair from the collection of Jack and Belle Linsky, also on mound bases, was sold in these rooms on May 21, 1985, lot 61, and is illustrated in David Rosenfeld, Figures of the Eighteenth Century in Europe, pp. 30 and 31.