Original and skillfully made porcelain figurine of a man leaning over the basket in the form of sweetmeat dish. A man in fancy dress, wearing a hat and carrying a shoulder bag. The clothes are richly decorated with colorful patterns, some details gilded. He is standing near a candy dish basket with handles mounted on a rocaille pedestal. The basket hand painted with charming flowers. The figurine is finely hand-painted with excellent detailing, including the color patterns on the jacket and waistcoat and fine facial details. The base of the figurine has KPM cobalt blue mark in the form of a scepter, which corresponds to the stated date of manufacture. KPM, or K�nigliche Porzellan Manufaktur (''Royal Porcelain Factory'' in English), is Berlin�s oldest porcelain factory and Germany�s second oldest. It was founded in 1763 and continues to produce porcelain to this day. In the 18th and 19th centuries; KPM specialized in the production of porcelain dinner services, figurines, painted plaques, vases and more. They were particularly associated with the popular mid-18th century Rococo style and with its replacement by the more austere Neoclassicism of the early 19th century.Across the 18th and 19th centuries, KPM was one of Europe�s most consistently commercially successful ceramics enterprises. It also benefited from important financial backing: first from the Prussian crown, and later from the unified German state. It was because of its close associations with the state that the name KPM � along with Meissen would become synonymous with German porcelain, just as with Sevres in France, Royal Worcester in England and Royal Vienna in Austria. KPM was a fundamental part of the landscape of the European decorative arts in the 19th century, and was one of the most prolific producers of luxury porcelain in the period. The trade in antique KPM, however, continues to thrive: 18th Century pieces sell for vast sums at auction while 19th Century plaques, figurines and vases are p...