Fragility can sometimes add to beauty -- one of the reasons for the affection for the short-lived cherry blossom. The more fleeting, unstable, or breakable something is, the less likely its beauty will be taken for granted.
Fragility is definitely part of the appeal of old porcelain such as the "Triumph of Amphitrite," a late- 19th-century piece made from 18th century molds designed by the great ceramic artist Johann Kandler. A lavish, baroque figurine, it is a typical example of the famous craftsmanship from Meissen, Germany, and is on display as part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum's "Prachtvolle Porzellene aus Meissen" exhibition.
Looking at some of the pieces here, like the equally delicate and ornate "Apollo Riding the Chariot of the Sun," a 19th-century piece also from Kandler's molds, you feel inclined to hold your breath, and it's no wonder the 19th-century German philosopher Schopenhauer compared Meissen works to "frozen music."
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