Augustus III, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, Johann Joachim Kändler (German, 1706–1775), Meissen Porcelain Factory, 1736. Glazed porcelain and bronze with gilding; figure and base, height: 66.7 cm; figure: 45.1 x 34.3 x 17.5 cm; base: 21.6 x 22.2 x 22.2 cm. Saint Louis Art Museum Museum Purchase, 256:1951a,b.

This portrait of Augustus was modeled from life. The king's pose, gesture, and Roman-style armor are formulas of state portraiture, intended to affirm the king's power and virtue by clothing him as a classical hero. Far from formulaic, however, is the richly modeled and chased breastplate, which reveals the king's substantial torso, the scale-ornamented plates of his skirt, and the plumed helmet at his feet. The figure is a masterpiece of ceramic sculpture, both for its artistic virtuosity and for the technical challenge of firing so large a piece of porcelain.