European Decorative Arts

monkey orchestra figures

18th - 21st century

These figures originated in the 18th century, initially by the porcelain company of Meissen. They were copied by other companies and then recopied numbers of times. Hence the variety. Meissen still make their version. The pipe and tabor player was a member of a standard orchestra at Court and is still used today in some orchestras in France.
1753-80 Meissen			1747 Meissen
Sitzendorf			21st century Aelteste Volkstedter
1753 Meissen candlestick (broken arms)	drum missing		1756-8 Chelsea	missing drum-stick
		20th century Meissen
1756 Chelsea 20th century
	Meissen, 20th c
	1925	Victorian
		1880-1920
unknown	Sitzendorf
	1950's copy, Andrea by Sadek	no pipe vestige of drumstick	21st c Aelteste Volkstedter
early 20th century Sitzendorf	early 20th century Sitzendorf
20th century	late 19th /early 20th Century	20th century	20th century
	1950's
by Sadek			20th century by Mottahedeh

Please note that all these images are copyright.
Contact the museum or library concerned if you would like a larger copy or a better resolution image. If no link is given the item was sold at auction, sometimes individually and sometimes as part of a collection of monkey orchestra figures.