164. A rare Meissen ormolu-mounted group of a Freemason and lady, circa 1745 Modelled by J.J. Kaendler, the gentleman seated on an upturned pedestal, wearing a gilt-edged white jacket, blue-edged chamois apron and black breeches, his tricorn under his right arm, his companion seated on a pedestal holding a beaker to his lips and holding a jug in her left hand, a pug dog seated on her lap, wearing a white bonnet, puce cape, dress decorated with indianische Blumen and puce shoes with gilding, the base applied with leaves and flowers, 17cm high, traces of crossed swords mark in blue (table missing from front of base, some restoration) Provenance The Property of a Lady, sold Sotheby's London, 15 May 1965, lot 149; Private Collection, Germany (offered at Sotheby's London, 17 June 1997, lot 140); Private German Collection of Meissen Porcelain There are two brief mentions of Freemason groups in Kaendler's work records in May and November 1744. The Taxa of overtime work mentions in an entry dated 21 November 1744: '1. Frey Maurer Groupgen, da ein Frey-Maurer in seiner Kleidung und Schurz Fell neben einer Dame vom Mopß-Orden sizet, welche ihn mit einer Chocolate, die sie auf dem Tisch neben sich stehen hat, beehret, auf deren Schooß liegt ein Mopß' [1 Freemason group, a Freemason in his clothes and hide apron seated next to a Lady of the Order of Pugs, who offers his chocolate that she has standing on a table next to him]. For the significance of the pseudo-Masonic Mopsorden, or Order of the Pug Dog, see E. Köllmann, Der Mopsorden, in Keramos 50/1970, pp. 71-82. Other examples of this group are in the Pauls-Eisenbeiss Collection (I. Menzhausen, In Porzellan verzaubert, p. 114), and in the Gustav von Klemperer (no. 601), Walther von Pannwitz (no. 276) and Gustav von Gerhardt (no. 89) collections.