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HI Bill...I do like the tigers! The female just seems to capure that 'slumped' look!

In looking at an old catalogue I found an exact same 1st War Patriotic bust as the one I have, and it was described as having the Nymphenburg logo on the base. But I think I am right on saying that mine is NOT a Nymphenburg marking. It is certainly not up to the standard of that company.

I'm attaching images of the SA Reiter...what makes me think it is post war is the lack of detail on the insignia; no swastika, no collar tabs and just the hint of an eagle on the kepi.
The horse detail is better than the rider! The other thing is that the price I paid is in keeping with a copy and not a period piece, and I gave up believing in Santa Claus a long time ago!

The rider.

Rear view

Horse's head.

I have missed out by not popping in on occasion. I agree with Billy this thread should be preserved for future reference.

Z06Berlin, What a lovely piece, top notch. I love it and just look at that detail! It reminds me of the Greek and art noveau style of antique porcelain accessories or decor for elegant bathroom use. Not nearly as nice as yours but my wife has an antigue soap dish in greek style.

Gary, you lucky old dog, a Karner bronze! Rare, rare, rare! Magnificent piece! Congratulations!

Tristan, Nice stuff! I wasn't about to state that about your nice stuff so glad you mentioned it because the mark looks like Prince Fredrich Christian of Saxony Althausen 1955. But when you get a spare moment would you mind taking another picture of your marks please? Thanks

Bill, Talk about the cat’s meow! My oh my!

Thanks to all for sharing their fabulous collections. It's very much appreciated.

Tristan,
I hope I'm wrong but without clear pictures of the marks I can only guess. Have you had a chance to compare your marks? I hope it helps steer you in the right direction in any case. Best.

I would wait to hear what Bill's opinion is. His knowledge in this field is absolutely amazing. In fact you can bank on it.

ZO6 Berlin, That Kister company has one long history. The factory was bought up in 1990 by Konigl. Priv. Porcelain Factory Tettau. Thanks for showing it off to us.

Beautiful Bronze Gary, I've collected 19th century classical French Bronzes for years and although I now have an interest in Allach I do still think that when it comes down to the really fine detail that Bronze has the edge over china and porcelain but that's just my own opinion and I do not wish in any way to diminish the beauty of Allach porcelain, in fact at the moment its my main collecting focus having recently expanded my little family of Moritskens to 3, which reminds me, Bill W, sorry for the delay but I will now try to get you some more pics of the Prophet, had a family knock back recently and not yet back fully in the swing, apologies.

Nolan

Gentlemen,

I wanted to say thanks to everyone for your support for this thread and kind comments - here's to all of you for adding so much great input and material, cheers!
Also a special word of thanks to "derjäger" - Joe G., for pinning our thread and always helping when I run into technical difficulties, which is normally quite often ... muchas gracias amigo!

Mikee - glad to see you back in town. It's always good to hear your take on things as you have a keen eye for all kinds of great goodies. I've got a small collection of photos that I'll be posting soon for your enjoyment and hopefully several others will approve of them, too ... heh. Some pictures of lovely pieces that I couldn't add to my collection for one reason or another - most, because of their prohibitive prices.

Tristan - no relationship to the Nymphenburg factory I'm afraid. I haven't found the logo for the company that Mikee mentioned yet, but when I do I'll post it. I don't think your SA rider is necessarily postwar. I've seen German bronzes and metal work run the gamut in quality, possibly so that the ordinary guy could afford something for his home or desk too? If you think about it for a moment, not everyone could afford Zeitner-quality gifts and baubles to present. There had to be lots of Spelterware and odd, inexpensive, alloy-type castings to be bought for the patriotic home, no? That's what I think this one is, not top-end but most likely an original period piece.

Herr Nolan - Sorry to hear that you ran into difficult times, I hope things are on an upward swing for you? Looking forward to seeing some photos of your dancers when you get some time. In that vein, figures that is, I'd like to start off posting one that most Allach collectors will surely recognize, the merry prankster, Til Eulenspiegel.

I recently found this beautiful Meissen rendering of the fairy-tale character on a German auction site. Methinks the quality of this example easily rivals that of anything produced by Allach. In my humble opinion even the pose and symbolism is slightly better than its Allach counterpart and I'll try to explain why ... in German the name Eulenspiegel literally means, "owl-mirror." Here the brilliant sculptor, Willi Münch-khe, has incorporated those two words into the work, as we can clearly see not only the owl, but also the hand-mirror in Til's grasp. A very subtle and clever way the artist identifies his subject without words, a very nice touch. With the Allach example the viewer only sees a figure and has no way of knowing exactly who the subject is, unless he/she posesses some knowledge of the Allach product line or catalogs and photographs. With Khe's example the keen eye just might pick up on the symbolism to identify the strange person in the jester's garb? Til may have been a jester but most often his pranks weren't funny at all and some were so nasty that they eventually hung the silly prat. ha!

I trust you all might enjoy this work as much as I do ...

Bis später, best!

W~

Hey Bill,
Thanks for the welcome back and I totally agree with you! That is an exceptional piece by Meissen, far above and beyond other manufacturer’s attempts at the same. Absolutely impressive and astounding! Meissen has always been one of my favorites. I'm so glad you were able to grab this one for your already impressive collection and best of all you’re willingness to always share these works of art with us along with your profound knowledge. I have learned so much from you. Best!

Bill, That is just an amazing piece. Can I ask how much it was in relation to an Allach Jester?

Mikee - Tristan,

Sorry for the misunderstanding but this unit doesn't belong to me, though, I really wish it did ...

I wanted to post a few examples of work that fell into the category - pieces that I either missed or just couldn't afford. However, I can tell you the little that I know about this particular sculpture...

This model was first sculpted by Münch-khe in 1928 and this one sold for around 2500 Euros.
There's another, later, different example of Till by Meissen that can be purchased directly from the company today, that lists for over 5000 E. I'm not sure of the artist who did the second piece but it shouldn't be too difficult to find out. I think Khe's '28 version is much superior to the second rendering, but that's just an opinion.

I also happened across two other versions, one by Hutschenreuther and another by Rosenthal, neither being up-to-snuff compared to their Allach and early Meissen counterparts.

You may also find Till spelled a few different ways if you're searching - Til, Tyl among others. The most common is Till.

Again, sorry if I wasn't clear before ...

I wish all of you much good hunting!

Bill

Ps - here's another one that I don't own but thought worthwhile having a look at. A great Art Deco frog by Rudolf Lohner, early 1920's if memory serves?

Mikee...Another image of the 'Crown' on the Patriotic bust. I don't want to take the rider off the base and cannot get a better picture.
I've tried 'Googling' the name you gave me without success...can you give me any more info, or a link? Thanks.

...look what just crept in????

Tristan

I see you've been down to the woods today , a very nice surprise if they just happened to creep in to your house.

Beautiful

Gary

Tristan,

Thanks for showing your bears.
Can't find a link but will continue to search. From your picture I'm not sure, seems to have some differences. Same company had another crown with just the ball on top of the crown but had a shield displayed under it. This mark is the only crown mark I found with no other markings around it that closely resembled yours. Without further markings its not easy to identify unless we stumble across an exact match. Anyway,its always worth a try and if you find something please let us know.

Baz, Mikee, thanks for your comments and info. I'll keep looking and let you know if anything definite turns up.

Tristan,

Any one of Kärner's Allach bear-cub series is simply a delight to study, appreciate and hold in one's hand. It seems that any of the four given examples perfectly captures the spirit of these young imps. You can really feel what these youngsters are all about - inquisitive bundles of energy, ready to turn any opportunity into playtime!

This essence or life-force that Kärner captures in his figures is key to their appeal. Your pair will make for a great addition to your collection and I'm sure you're already scouting for the rest of the series. Great score. One of the best porcelain bears I've ever had the pleasure to see was the Professor's early Nymphenburg sculpture of an adult grizzly bear, just padding along ...

Two other examples in the "bantam-weight class" is this young Esel or donkey and a fawn by Willi Münch-khe, the gifted artist who sculpted the fine rendering of Till Eulenspiegel, just above. A little background about the artist - Willi Eduard Heinrich Münch-khe, German painter, graphic artist, engraver, sculptor and author, 1885-1961. Between the years 1903 and 1907 he studied glass painting at the Acadamy in Karlsruhe. From 1910 until 1911 he was employed at the Majolica porcelain factory in Karlsruhe as a painter/decorator. Then in 1912 he was hired as a painter with the firm of Meissen. In 1913 he also became an accepted porcelain modeler for the company. Between 1925 and 1932 and again from 1954 until 1956, he worked as a freelance sculptor of small animal figures. Many of his animal works were manufactured in Böttger-Steinzeug, which looks like reddish-brown stone. Many of the animals are newborns or very young, one of his specialties. His series of calves, fawns, donkeys, etc., are easily recognized by their spindly and unstable legs. But no worries mates, the finished examples are anything but unstable. Herr Münch-khe had an uncanny knack finding the perfect balance for his subjects, even though they give the impression of being unsteady. He also studied under and was very friendly with another top-notch and supremely talented sculptor, August Gaul.

I trust you might enjoy these two pieces ...

Bill

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Bill, your knowledge in this area never ceases to amaze me

This is one piece I have been waiting for, just to keep my White Schaeferhund company!

...

Tristan,

That's the way to go old man!! ... holy smoke,
you've done it again.

Your theory of "one white, one colored," is really coming to fruition I'm glad to say. This is really a most impressive way of looking at and appreciating Allach.

When one of these master-painters completed something, they brought in a whole new way of defining the subject. Beautiful work!

As always, gracias.

Bill

Gents,

Wanted to share these two fine pieces by Meissen, both produced in Böttger Steinzeug.

The first example is one of the best examples of a bison I've ever seen, by Erich Oehme and the second is a partridge or Rebhuhn, I believe by Max Esser?

Sadly I don't own either of these two items, but both are well worthwhile having a look at.
I trust you might agree ...

Best regards!

Bill

Rebhuhn ...

Ps - for those who might own a piece of Steinzeug you can work any ordinary good oil into the surfaces and just rub it in with your fingers and a clean soft cotton rag. Naturally, don't forget to clean any dust and dirt off beforehand. These oil treatments will give the stone-like material a sheen that mimics bronze. Unlike metal finishes the Steinzeug will actually benefit from handling and the natural oil from one's hands.

Bill, you suggested that the Meissen Seagull piece I have is by Esser, and it is nice to see another 'bird'example of his.

Tristan,

Max did some beautiful work during his career,
as your seagull and this partridge clearly shows. He could work in all sizes and in many various styles, too. From ultra-stylized Art Deco to photo-realistic renderings the man could do it all. The more of his works that I find, the more respect and admiration I have for this gifted artist. Truly one of the greats from this time period.

Another slightly less-known sculptor from the late-Imperial and Weimar periods was Fritz Klee, who was also responsible for some exceptional Art Deco animals. Case in point,
this unique gilded, crayfish/lobster jar w/lid.
What I especially like about this little crustacean is the fact that Klee decided to give him only one gold antenna instead of two.
Somehow the old boy decided to sneak that very subtle bit of Deco in on us, nice touch.

Sadly, another small gem I don't own but nevertheless one I wanted to share with y'all.

My best advice would be to see if you can get in one more early Christmas present for yourselves ... something along the lines of this piece would be perfect, or a nice Allach would do in a pinch, too.

Best!

W~

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Bill...Thanks for sharing your knowledge, and to you and all those who have contributed to this excellent thread, have a GREAT Christmas and all the best for 2010!

Tristan,

Backatcha ...

Here's to trust that all our collecting friends and acquaintences have a very good year in 2010!!

... hopefully a little treat for those who've contibuted, visited and enjoyed the thread - cheers to all of you! Thanks.


Art Deco Panther -

Main Entry: powerful

Part of Speech: adjective

Definition: strong, effective

Synonyms: able, all-powerful, almighty, authoritarian, authoritative, capable, cogent, commanding, compelling, competent, controlling, convincing, dominant, dynamic, effectual, efficacious, energetic, forceful, forcible, impressive, in control, in the saddle, influential, mighty, omnipotent, overruling, paramount, persuasive, potent, preeminent, prevailing, puissant, robust, ruling, sovereign, stalwart, strapping, strengthy, sturdy, supreme, telling, upper hand, vigorous, weighty, wicked*, wieldy

Best!

B~

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Simply Stunning,
Bill
what can you tell us of the manufacture and sculpture.

Bill,

Woah! My jaw just hit the floor. Where in the heck did you find it? I can stare at that piece forever and just look at those lines! I love it!

,,What a great "cat" Bill.
Thanks for posting all the pics guys.
Paul

I'm not a porcelain guy but that is one bad a$$ cat!!

Gents,

I thought you might enjoy this one, it really is a beauty ...

G - I lost all my notes on this one, the whole shabang! I believe it was originally produced in 1926-'28? Forget the artist, too. doh!

Mikee - This is a modern factory re-cast, one of two defectives that were left-over from a small, limited edition firing. With shipping, insurance, etc., it would have been well over $1300, so I passed on the deal. Instead I found some fine older pieces that I was much happier with ...

Nevertheless, a fine piece of work that I hope will inspire all of you for the coming year.

Bill

Bill,
I would have to say, although it's an extremely nice piece, it’s a little pricey and I would've done the same and thank you for the info on this one.

Fellas,

A little something to get you into the Christmas
spirit ...

Cheers!

B~