One pair of nesting birds, one of which has its right wing slightly extended, have their plumage delicately brindled with patches of sepia, puce and black.
The other pair, of similar modelling, have black brindled crests and tails; both groups supported on a simple pad base applied with leaves and flowers, 9.5cm.
The doves were modelled by Johann Joachim Kaendler (1706-1775), the highly respected chief modeller at Meissen, where he was employed for more than forty years.
The 1763 Burghley Inventory records: ‘The Japan Closet…two pair of doves, Dresden china.’
After many years of experimentation, the first European hard paste porcelain was manufactured in 1710 at Meissen, near Dresden and it continued to be referred to as Dresden for some years.
