The condition of lots can vary widely and the nature of the lots sold means that they are unlikely to be in a perfect condition. Lots are sold in the condition they are in at the time of sale.

This very rare group presents well, but there are condition faults, which are listed in more detail below.

The group appears to have been broken through, although it is difficult to be sure exactly where the breaks run, and these have been restored, and some clear lacquer has been used. Ultra violet light does not illuminate anything with precision. It appears that the sleigh has been broken through and restored, as there is some lacquer to it. The driver’s left hand and the hem of his jacket on his left side have been restored, and on the same side of the group, the man in green’s left leg and left arm have probably been restuck – suggesting that a break runs through this side of the sleigh somewhere.

Further clues are illuminated by the 1987 illustration of it in Len and Yvonne Adam’s book. The horse’s forelegs have clearly been restored since then. The 1987 illustration also shows areas of the base which are slightly darker, suggesting there are two principal breaks to the base – one area is to the base underneath the man in green’s left foot (to the left of the crossed swords mark – a break here would mean that the sleigh is broken through – as discussed above), and the other runs from the right side of the mound support under the horse to the edge of the base. The forelegs in the 1987 image have evidence of old restoration in poor repair, but in the illustration, the horse appears to be unscathed. So presumably the horse end of the base is broken through and the horse came off, but the horse may not have been broken (except the legs). There are areas of clear lacquer to the horse – but it is possible that the restorer has covered a much larger area than is necessary. In addition, the horse’s reins are lacking.

An XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence) test was carried out by The Centre for Archaeological and Forensic Analysis at Cranfield University, confirming that the enamels on this object are consistent with the published data for enamels on other Meissen porcelain dating from the 19th Century.