Figure of Saint Francis Xavier

ca. 1738-40

German, 1706-1775

This extraordinary work in porcelain was the keystone to a grand assemblage, Death of Saint Francis Xavier. The other parts of the sculpture are lost. Modeled by Kändler, this work reveals both his strong baroque background and his awakening to the new, more riotous, world of rococo. The figure of the saint is designed with the stately, strong diagonal line of the baroque, but he lies upon a scrambled lawn of vermicelli-like grass. The energetic modeling of St. Xavier in the emerging rococo style contrasts with the serene classical portrayal of the figures in the three French porcelain family groups on view across the gallery.

Hard paste porcelain

9 1/2 x 13 3/4 x 18 1/4 in. (24.13 x 34.93 x 46.4cm)

Evelyn Clapp Collection

54.135

Provenance: [H.E. Backer, London]; purchased by Seattle Art Museum (using Evelyn Clapp Memorial Collection funds), June 17, 1954

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "Porcelain Stories: From China to Europe", February 17, 2000-May 7, 2000 (2/17/2000 - 5/7/2000)

Published ReferencesEmerson, Julie, Jennifer Chen, & Mimi Gardner Gates, "Porcelain Stories, From China to Europe", Seattle Art Museum, 2000, pg. 212-213

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