122. A Meissen figure of a reclining lady (Ruhende), 1930-33 Modelled by Paul Scheurich, as a fashionable lady lying on a chaise longue, an open book on the ground below, on a stepped rectangular base, 24 cm high, 29.5cm long, 14.5cm wide, crossed swords mark and dot between the sword tips in underglaze-blue, incised "SCHEURICH 29" to top of base, incised model number A 1216 and impressed former's numeral 132 In the autumn of 1928, after more than five years of seclusion, Paul Scheurich resurfaced into the vibrant cultural landscape of Berlin's golden twenties. Immersed once again in the city's energy and artistic ferment, he found renewed inspiration and creative vitality. Among his first new works was the model of the Ruhende, a graceful and subtly witty portrayal of the "modern" woman, reclining languidly on a chaise-longue, a book casually abandoned at the foot of the settee. Scheurich intended the figure to remain undecorated, as noted in a sketch for another group, Türke und Türkin zu Pferde, lot 126 (Johannes Rafael, Paul Scheurich 1883-1945 Porzellane für die Meissener Manufaktur, Meissener Manuskripte, Sonderband VIII, 1995, p. 80). The Meissen manufactory acquired the model in June 1929 for RM 3000. Although porcelain production began in 1930, the first recorded sale did not occur until 1936. Despite receiving the prestigious Grand Prix at the 1937 Paris World Exhibition, only eight examples had entered the market by the end of 1945. Two other examples, one of the period and one slightly later, from the collection of Prof. J. Rafael were sold in these rooms, 14 April 2022, lots 79 and 80.