Pair of ‘Malabar’ Figurines, anonymous, 1748 - 1749
These porcelain figurines are supposed to represent inhabitants of Malabar, a coastal region in southwest India. However, engravings of Malabars in Western literature came to symbolize people from all over India. The prints were a European fantasy, just like these statuettes. Their clothes, headdress, hairdos and trappings are an amalgam of all kinds of styles and ideas. They became a popular product of the Meissen manufactory.