Franz Anton Bustelli

Bustelli joined the Neudeck factory in Munich in 1754, the year after it was established by the local ruler, Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria.

The most famous of his works is a set of eight pairs of male and female single figures whose glances interact, portraying characters in the Commedia dell'arte (1759–1760).

[9] He was involved in the design of a large dinner service for the elector, though the elaborate individual paintings, by Joseph Zächenberger, were not completed until after his death.

With the older, and far more prolific, modeller Johann Joachim Kaendler of Meissen, Bustelli is the outstanding figure of Rococo porcelain, and his best work has a unique grace, energy, drama and often wit.

[11] He was not very highly paid, and his possessions at his death included furniture and personal effects, some of his own figures, 228 engravings, and 31 books on chemistry[2] Today many Bustelli designs continue to be produced by Nymphenburg, though not from the original moulds, and using modern stamps.

The Sleeper Disturbed , Nymphenburg, 24 cm high; the integration of decorative scroll-work into the composition is characteristic.
Another Bustelli group, The Tempestuous Lovers , 1760, 14.4 cm high. See note for the same group in plain white, from another view. [ 1 ]