A conversation with Jeffrey Weaver, Associate Curator of Sculpture and Decorative Arts, J. Paul Getty Museum and Steven Zucker, Executive Director, Smarthistory in front of A Fox with a Chicken, c. 1732, Johann Gottlieb Kirchner, Meissen Porcelain Manufactory. Hard-paste porcelain with traces of oil paint, 46 x 34 x 20 cm. (J. Paul Getty Museum) and A Turkey, c. 1733, Johann Joachim Kändler, Meissen Porcelain Manufactory. Hard-paste porcelain, 53.5 x 51 x 20 cm. (J. Paul Getty Museum)
Imagine a menagerie of over 500 life-sized porcelain animals displayed in a long gallery in a palace in Dresden. A Fox with a Chicken was a part of this new creation commissioned by Augustus II “The Strong” in the 18th century to share his love for Japanese porcelain with others.
Getty has joined forces with Smarthistory to bring you an in-depth look at select works within our collection, whether you’re looking to learn more at home or want to make art more accessible in your classroom. This video series illuminates art history concepts through fun, unscripted conversations between art historians, curators, archaeologists, and artists, committed to a fresh take on the history of visual arts.
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Additional resources
The porcelain collection of Augustus II “The Strong” from the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Dresden.
Maureen Cassidy-Geiger, “Fabled beasts: Augustus the Strong’s Meissen menagerie,” The Magazine Antiques 164, no. 4 (October 2003): pp. 152–161.
Smarthistory images for teaching and learning:
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