Atlas Bearing the World, Meissen porcelain, circa 1750

Rare and fine hard paste porcelain figure depicting Atlas, seated on a rocaille decorated rock and bearing a terrestrial globe on his shoulders. The globe is delicately painted and inscribed with MARE PACIFICUM, AMERICA, AFRICA, EUROPA, OCEANUS, as well as the early geographical notations Nova Zélant (New Zealand) and Nova Holl (New Holland, the historical name for Australia).
This model, by Johann Joachim Kaendler, Meissen’s master modeller, belongs to the sculptural repertoire developed around 1750, a period marked by highly expressive mythological compositions. The figure of Atlas is particularly rare within Meissen’s production and is distinguished by its powerful modelling, anatomical precision, and the dynamic tension characteristic of Kaendler’s hand.