The fickle wagtail

A haughty-looking wagtail stands on a rocky pedestal, surrounded by blossom. Made of Saxony porcelain, the bird was created by the Meissen factory, the centre of hard-paste porcelain (porcelain made from kaolin) production in the 18th century.

Bronze foliage and fruit adorn the sinuous stems crowned with delicate porcelain flowers, probably modelled at the royal factory in Vincennes. These carnations and anemones are rendered in a highly naturalistic style with accurate pistils and scalloped petals.

This charming composition stands on a bronze, rococo-style base. Typical of the 1750s, this type of scalloped pedestal was commissioned by Parisian merchants, who were active in the distribution of decorative fashions in the 18th century.

Very harmonious, this work, however, is an assembly of isolated elements, originally conceived separately. It reflects the savoir-faire of the merchants, who were capable of embellishing luxury items and creating unique compositions to fulfil their orders.

The powder pink tones of the flowers, the fineness of the bird, the lightness of the branches and the floral motif of the bobeches – all the decoration conjures up springtime, a season synonymous with joy and rediscovered pleasures.