In the Swan Service for his Director, Heinrich von Brühl, also the dictatorial First Minister, he developed the small figural scenes which enrich the table service. In its elegant flourish and easy charm, his work shows the heavy influence of rococo. The works which he produced at Meissen, substantially changed the porcelain industry. His early sculptures, which primarily drew motifs from the natural world, were celebrated for their accuracy and elegance, which contrasted with most work in their pathos. His bird sculptures are especially noteworthy, such as jays with squirrels and stag beetles, orioles, and woodpeckers with cockchafers. Other animal sculptures included one of Clara the rhinoceros. The "Swan Service" created for von Brühl, which is today considered a masterpiece of porcelain art, marked his turn to small decorative figures. Later, as Kändler became increasingly involved in court life, he took inspiration from the very popular form of theatre, commedia dell'arte. Together with his co-workers, he created entire groups of small accessories and figurines, which took the romantic shepherd imagery of rococo and infused it with the life of Commedia dell'arte characters. These figures, especially the Harlequins, give a more evocative sense of this form of theatre than most illustrations. Out of the over a thousand different items, the "Monkey Band" (or orchestra) created in 1753, which Kändler wished to be seen as a metaphorical rejection of any kind of compulsion, stands out. With this homage to the Enlightenment ideal of the free and rational human, he tapped into the contemporary zeitgeist and created a timeless masterpiece of European porcelain art. To this day, the monkey orchestra has lost none of its popularity and it is still often reproduced. A crucifixion group made by Kändler stands in the . Kändler also produced a model of Augustus III of Poland on a horse which was intended to be a life size statue for the city. It was never carried through though. There is an all white figure of the Triumph of Amphitrite in the Berlin Museum that is the only known figure Kändler ever signed himself. He was succeeded by his assistants Johann Friedrich Eberlein and Peter Reinecke. After forty years work at the manufactury, he died at Meissen on 18 May 1775. Collections Examples of the thousands of pieces modelled by Kändler can be seen in most major museums collecting ceramics. The best UK collection is on the sixth floor