Girl fleeing from a snake (one of a pair)

This exquisite porcelain figurine comes from the Höchster Porzellan-Manufaktur (Höchst Porcelain Manufactory), one of the most prestigious German porcelain manufacturers of the 18th century. Founded in 1746 near Frankfurt, Höchst was renowned for its exceptionally fine hard-paste porcelain and delicate figurative sculptures. Created in 1760 during the manufactory's golden age, this piece represents the Rococo fascination with dramatic emotion and narrative movement. The subject—a young girl fleeing in terror from a snake—captures a moment of pure theatricality, transforming everyday fear into an elegant artistic statement. Such paired figurines were highly fashionable among European aristocracy, often displayed on mantelpieces or in cabinets of curiosities.

The technical mastery required to create this piece is remarkable. Hard-paste porcelain, fired at extremely high temperatures, allowed for crisp details and a luminous translucent quality that softer paste could never achieve. The sculptor has frozen a split-second of movement: the girl's flowing garments, her recoiling posture, and her expression of alarm all convey genuine emotion despite the static medium. As one of a pair, this figurine would have had a companion piece, likely depicting either the snake itself or perhaps a heroic figure coming to her rescue, creating a complete narrative tableau that invited viewers to imagine the story's continuation.