Limited Edition Box with hummingbirds in flowering bush

The exoticism of distant lands has always fired the imagination of artists at MEISSEN. With their decorative schemes and impressive landscapes, our porcelain painters and repairers seemingly vacate their studios to take us on a virtual trip into the unknown. This box is a wonderful example of how Mother Nature's inestimable powers of creation can make allies of science and art. Astute observations of nature have been recorded to perfection here in both form and colour. Three exquisitely painted frilled coquettes, a species of bird from the hummingbird family, show off their dazzlingly colourful plumage amidst moulded floral appliqués. They hover in motionless flight with a characteristic whir of their wings or else sit on small branches as they prepare to dip their beaks into the sweet nectar. The hand-moulded flowers have been gently highlighted in gilt to bring out the full colour of these cheerful birds. This fine box effortlessly harnesses the manufactory's many skills, depicting the birds' lively antics so eloquently on porcelain that the beholder almost gets to hear their joyous chirping. Meissen animal sculptures have rendered a variety of animals in different postures and settings, from domestic birds and dogs to more exotic creatures, since the manufactory's earliest years. Often painted in vivid colour and a highly detailed manner, they serve to emphasize the natural beauty and behavioural traits of the animal in question.