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7 Auction of the Dr Paul and UrsulaMüller-Frei Collection on 24 March 2020 Meissen figurines have for centuries been among the ne plus ultra of European ceramic art. In 1702 Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony, who by his own admis- sion suffered from the "maladie de porcelaine", hired the young alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger to make gold from metal so that the regent could continue to buy expensive Chinese porcelain. Although Böttger was bound to fail at that task, in 1707, instead of making gold he succeeded in producing red porcelain stone- ware, called jasper porcelain, and a year later, created the first white hard-paste porcelain in Europe. Thus be- gan the now 300-year history of the "Royal Polish and Electoral Saxon Porcelain Manufactory" in the town of Meissen. Since 1722, Meissen porcelain has been rec- ognized around theworld by its famous crossed swords mark. The blossoming of Rococo coincided with the phe- nomenal rise of the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory. Works by the legendary designer and modeler Johann Joachim Kändler (1706–1775) belong to this early phase of Meissen production. Augustus the Strong recognized Kändler's talent early on and appointed him court sculptor. Meissen's success was inseparably linked with Kändler's skill. His naturalistic depictions of animals and especially his elegant figures and figural groups are the embodiment of perfect craftsmanship and aesthetic perfection. Two ingenious groups basedonKändler's designs, from the private collection of Dr Paul and Ursula Müller-Frei, will be offered on 24 March (ill. 1). Kändler was inspired by “The Rake’s Progress”, a series of paintings by the satirical English artist William Hogarth, illustrating the dec- adent lifestyle of a rich heir. Kändler used porcelain to recreate individual events from this story, removing them from their original con- text and thus transforming them into true-to-life genre scenes. The "Harlequin with Jug" figurine (ill. 4) is light and carefree, modelled on Venetian comedians who performed at the Dresden Opera House near the Zwinger Palace in Kändler's day. Today, Kändler's works are found in important mu- seums, notably the Historical Museum in Basel, where the highly significant porcelain collection of the Pauls-Eisenbeiss Foundation includes one of the most extensive Kändler collections in the world. The two groups of figures in the March auction once be- longed to Baron Maurice de Rothschild (1881–1957), who founded the Swiss branch of the famous French aristocratic family in Geneva. The single-owner auction of the Müller-Frei Collection comprises some 300 lots, including important English silver, Old Master paintings, 18 th century furniture and porcelain. 1 An important Meissen group of lovers with a bird cage. Circa 1736. The model by Johann Joachim Kändler. H 12.7 cm. Estimate: CHF 40 000/60 000 2 An Elizabeth I silver-gilt cup. London, 1576. Maker’s mark A?. H 21.5 cm. 480 g. Estimate: CHF 30 000/50 000 3 A Charles II silver chocolate cup. London, circa 1680. Maker’s mark Ralph Leake. H 11.8 cm. 300 g. Estimate: CHF 20 000/30 000 4 A Meissen figure of Harlequin with a jug. Circa 1740. The model by Johann Joachim Kändler, 1738. H 16.3 cm. Estimate: CHF 20 000/30 000 5 A fine Doucai vase. China, Yongzheng Mark and of the period (1723–1735). H 13 cm. Estimate: CHF 30 000/50 000 6 A Louis XV “table à combinaisons”. France circa 1760. Stamped by Denis Genty. 70 × 55 × 41 cm. Estimate: CHF 10 000/15 000 White gold fromMeissen 2 6 2 5 3 4