In 1731, the elector-king Augustus the Strong of Saxony commissioned the Royal Porcelain Manufactory in Meissen to create several hundred life-size porcelain birds and other animals to adourn the Japanese Palace in Dresden. By January 1736, 412 birds and 160 quadrupeds had been delivered His Majesty.
Author Biography
Samuel Wittwer is director of the Foundation of Prussian Castles and Gardens, Berlin-Brandenburg.