Crown Princess Louise of Prussia and her Sister Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Gallery Text

Johann Gottfried Schadow worked as a sculptor on many architectural projects in Berlin and was central in establishing the neoclassical tradition there. This unglazed ceramic, or biscuit, reproduces in reduced scale one of his most famous marble sculptures, which was commissioned in 1796 by King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia. Typical of Schadow’s style, it joins classical references with naturalistic specificity. Presented as figures from the ancient past in their dress and hairstyles, the sisters also recall, through their poses, famous Roman sculptures of mythological siblings. At the same time, their facial features identify them unequivocally as the Prussian sisters portrayed by many contemporary artists. The composition’s popularity ensured its reproduction in casts such as this one throughout the nineteenth century.

Identification and Creation

Object Number: 2012.196
People: After Johann Gottfried Schadow, German (Berlin Berlin 1764 - 1850 Berlin)
Title: Crown Princess Louise of Prussia and her Sister Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Other Titles: Alternate Title: A Large Berlin Group of the Princesses Luise and Friederike von Preussen
Original Language Title: Berlin Figurengruppe der Prinzessinnen Luise und Friederike von Preussen
Classification: Sculpture
Work Type: sculpture
Date: c. 1825-1850
Culture: German
Persistent Link: https://hvrd.art/o/341118

Location

Location: Level 2, Room 2220, European and American Art, 17th–19th century, Rococo and Neoclassicism in the Eighteenth Century

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Physical Descriptions

Medium

Biscuit porcelain

Technique

Cast

Dimensions

54 x 29.8 x 19.7 cm (21 1/4 x 11 3/4 x 7 3/4 in.)

Inscriptions and Marks

maker's mark: impressed on the underside of the base with the mark of the Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur (Royal Porcelain Manufacture, Berlin): I / KPM / H V
label: bears a partial label on the underside of the base: ...5051 [This corresponds to the label reading "STE5051" that is recorded in the Sotheby's catalogue of the Thurn und Taxis sale, lot no. 2095.]

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History: Thurn und Taxis Collection, Regensburg, Germany, by whom sold; [Sotheby's, Geneva (sale held in situ at Schloss St. Emmeram, Regensburg, Germany), 12-21 October 1993 (this work sold 16 October 1993), lot 2095], to; [Angela Gräfin von Wallwitz Continental Ceramics and Works of Art, London], to; Dr. Crawford H. Greenewalt, Jr., Berkeley, CA, 1994, bequest; Harvard Art Museums, 2012.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line: Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest of Crawford H. Greenewalt Jr.
Accession Year: 2012
Object Number: 2012.196
Division: European and American Art
Contact: am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
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Exhibition History

32Q: 2220 18th-19th Century, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 01/01/2050

Subjects and Contexts

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Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu

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2012.196: Crown Princess Louise of Prussia and her Sister Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz