The Bagpiper

Artisan: Randall Zadar
Date: 2009
Inscriptions: signed and numbered ‘Zadar #13’ (on the underside)
Dimensions: 33 x 23 x 14 mm. / 1 ¼ x ⅞ x ½ inches (height x width x depth)
Intended Room: Breakfast Room
Inventory number: 2021.089
Category: Figurines

Provenance: The Adell Venus Collection, which was sold at auction by Leslie Hindman, Chicago, on 17 July 2013 (sale 279, ‘The Adell Venus Collection of Miniatures’), part of lot 381. Purchased there by Miniature Cottage, from whom we bought it in October 2021.

Funnily enough, this little figurine by Randall Zadar wasn’t our first choice. We bought it as a substitute when Miniature Cottage unfortunately couldn’t locate the Dancer Camargo we’d bought (we eventually found another), and actually it has turned out to be much loved in its own right. A shepherdess sleeps beneath an archway, her docile sheep slumbering at her feet. Her beau has turned up with a set of bagpipes, which no doubt is about to prove a rude awakening. Cupid perches on top of the arch, smirking at the mischief he’s about to witness. Of course this setting doesn’t look remotely bucolic: the arch has a fantastical shape, and a sculpted dolphin emerges, rather incongruously, from its side. It is a limited edition and signed as such on the bottom, marking it as number 13. Further information can be found in Randall Zadar’s own catalogue:

‘#155 – Shepherdess and Bagpiper. 2009. Permanently retired. Secondary market only. Height 1 1/4″. A miniature reproduction of a 1765 German porcelain figurine from Ludwigsburg. 68 painted figurines. Issue price $150. Five prototype pieces.’