Johann Joachim Kaendler
Encyclopedia
Meissen porcelain
Meissen porcelain or Meissen china is the first European hard-paste porcelain that was developed from 1708 by Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus. After his death that October, Johann Friedrich Böttger, continued his work and brought porcelain to the market...
manufacture.
Kändler was born in Fischbach
Fischbach
Fischbach may refer to the following places:*In Austria**Fischbach, Styria, in the Weiz district**Fischbach , part of the municipality Texingtal, Lower Austria*In Germany**Rhineland-Palatinate...
near Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. After apprenticing at the sculptor Thomae in Dresden, he became assistant of Johann Jakob Kirchner at Meissen porcelain, and succeeded him as "modelmaster" in 1733 when Kirchner resigned. His models were heavy on rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
style, leading a porcelain trend of the day.
Kändler was appointed court sculptor by Augustus II the Strong
Augustus II the Strong
Frederick Augustus I or Augustus II the Strong was Elector of Saxony and King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania ....
in 1731. He became known for his animal sculptures including one of Clara the rhinoceros
Clara the rhinoceros
Clara the rhinoceros was a female Indian Rhinoceros who became famous during 17 years of touring Europe in the mid-18th century. She arrived in Europe in Rotterdam in 1741, becoming the fifth living rhinoceros to be seen in Europe in modern times since Dürer's Rhinoceros in 1515...
.
After his death at Meißen in 1775, Kändler was succeeded by his assistants Johann Friedrich Eberlein and Peter Reinecke.