Harlequin family ca. 1740–45 Villeroy This remarkable figure group made of soft-paste porcelain is based directly on a Meissen porcelain sculptural group that was first modeled in 1738 (see ).[1] Left in the white, it is likely this example was made at the Villeroy factory, but it has been suggested by Aileen Dawson that it may have been produced slightly later at Mennecy,[2] the successor factory to Villeroy that was founded in 1750 (see ). The underside of the group is marked with the letters DV painted in black enamel, a mark now believed to be that used at Villeroy.[3] I

Harlequin family ca. 1740–45 Villeroy This remarkable figure group made of soft-paste porcelain is based directly on a Meissen porcelain sculptural group that was first modeled in 1738 (see ).[1] Left in the white, it is likely this example was made at the Villeroy factory, but it has been suggested by Aileen Dawson that it may have been produced slightly later at Mennecy,[2] the successor factory to Villeroy that was founded in 1750 (see ). The underside of the group is marked with the letters DV painted in black enamel, a mark now believed to be that used at Villeroy.[3] In addition, this group employs a tin glaze, the use of which is associated primarily with the production of the Villeroy factory rather than with works made at Mennecy.[4]The Harlequin family group displays a number of technical flaws that also suggest an origin at Villeroy, a small-scale and experimental ceramic enterprise. Furthermore, the ceramic paste ranges in color from slightly gray to slightly buff and lacks the brilliant whiteness commonly associated with the soft-paste porcelain body made at Mennecy. The scale of the group and the ambitious composition identify it as an exceptional work from Villeroy, although it is difficult, if not impossible, to ascribe the group to either factory with certainty. The vast majority of the figures produced at Villeroy either depict “Chinese” boys or reflect a pronounced chinoiserie influence;[5] therefore, this figure group is notable not only for the thoroughly different subject matter but also for the detail and complexity of in the Meissen model, this figure group depicts Harlequin with his inamorata Columbine, who holds their young child in her arms. Harlequin and Columbine are two of the principal characters in the commedia dell’arte, a form of comedic theatrical entertainment of Italian origin that enjoyed great popularity in Europe during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.[6] Each stock character com

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