Traditionally identified as the French noble figures of the Dauphin (son of Louis IV) and Mme. de Maintenon. The figures are likely based upon French aristocrats depicted in the engravings of the famed Bonnart brothers that were brought to China and copied onto porcelain plates and vases usually in blue and white. The exceptional quality and colors of these types of figures make them particularly prized. They are also to our knowledge the earliest figural depictions of Westerners in Chinese porcelain made at Jingdezhen.
Height of the Man: 8 ¾ inches (22.2 cm.)
Height of the Woman: 9 inches (23 cm.)
Similar examples: the Copeland Collection now at the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem; the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; and the historic collection of Augustus the Strong now the Zwinger Museum, Dresden; the Musee National Adrien Duboche, Limoges; and the Espirito Santo Collection (now in a private South American Collection)