2 2 - t l g . ; On a relief Rocaille base, twenty-one standing and sitting figures of a chapel master with a music stand, violinists, bass violinists, clarinetists, a harpist, a timpanist and carrier, trumpeters, French horn players, triangle players, bagpipe players, bassoon players, flutists, guitarists, drummers, a hurdy-gurdy player, a pianist, and four singers. Polychrome painting with gold staffage. Either Johann Joachim Kaendler or Peter Reinicke. Music stand after 2000. Partially restored. Sword mark. Meissen. 2nd half of the 19th century. Height 9 cm - 17 cm. The different monkeys of the orchestra are mentioned in the work reports of Johann Joachim Kaendler during the period from 1749 to 1766. Already in 1753, Kaendler designed an ensemble of music-playing monkey figures in colorful clothing with affected expressions, which he reworked in collaboration with Peter Reinicke around 1765/1766. Already in the large animal sculpture of a monkey with a box from 1732, the model master satirically depicted a snuff-taking monkey. Depictions of animals with human characteristics and behaviors were highly popular, especially due to the great interest in fable illustrations in the 18th century, as shown, among others, in satirical paintings by Christophe Huet, such as "Grande Singerie" and "Petite Singerie" in the Château de Chantilly, but also in an engraving by Jean-Jacques Flipart (1719-1782). See Rücker, Cat. Bayer. Nationalmuseum, p. 192, Sonntag, Affenkapelle aus Meissener Porzellan, p. 29ff; Pietzsch, Meißner Porzellanplastik, No. 213. A complete 22-piece collection of porcelain figures from the "monkey orchestra" modeled by J.J. Kaendler and P. Reinicke. Desk dated after 2000. Partly minor chipped/restored. Crossed swords mark. Meissen. 2nd half of the 19th century.