UBB.threads Forums Uniform & Accessories Imperial German Uniforms, Orders, and Decorations Imperial Allach ...

If I was to waiver from my sphere of collecting this piece would be the reason for doing so, I defy anybody not to like this model for some reason or other, how can you not enjoy looking at this piece.
Breathtaking.

Gary

By the way, for those who don't know what Bill looks like, check out his 3rd picture, a lot of similarities.

Bill,

That's one I haven't seen in sometime. Could've been from a different maker though, but still love it!

Gary,

The similarities are just uncanny. Bill's long ears,sharp eyes and keen sense of smell has served him well.

I'm with you Mikee, but the whiskers have it for me.

Gary

Jim,

I forgot to add,you have a very impressive collection and always a pleasure to see.

Here's a quick picture of the painted Damhirsch. Thanks

Mikee-
You sure know how to set up a impressive display.

Mikee,

Now those two make for a really lovely pair, isn't the doe a Kärner piece by Rosenthal, too? As Dean mentioned, that's an outstanding display, so many great things to see all in one spot! That's a Rosenthal porcelain plaque by Willi Exner, of "der Dicke," nicht? I like the Göring portrait even better than the Hitler counterpart, though, both are top-shelf and always in demand.

You're right about there being different versions of the fennec - several in fact... a pair that was first done for Meissen by Otto Pilz, in 1906, and another single, more stylized version by Margot Flinsch (or Flintsch) for Rosenthal in 1926, and the model shown above by Ullmann. As an interesting aside, I have a reference that shows another fox that is a dead-ringer for the Ullmann version, however, attributed to Karin Jarl, sculpted in 1926. Maybe the book is incorrect? I'll have to check into it a little more ...

... in the meantime fellas, gotta go groom my whiskers ...

Best!

Bill

This Ram is from Russia and made by Ziel. It is 10" long X 8 1/2" high.

I am amazed at the figurines that everyone has posted. Most of them are simply stunning. Jim

Made mistake in spelling company name it is Gzhel.

Jim,

This has to be one of the nicest wild goat sculptures that I've seen to date - a beautiful ibex and a very difficult animal to find in porcelain that's well portrayed.
Super detail to the anatomy, an excellent pose and a first-rate, very natural, painted decoration - they don't come much better than that! This is one of those models that's classy enough to compliment a collection of any kind, especially if you're into fine animal artwork. Exceptional piece, definitely a keeper!

Thanks for the nice snaps ...

Bill

Ps - if you ever want to trade out of this unit for another animal of equal value, I'm absolutely your man...

Very nice porcelain's shown here by Mikee and Jim, the Damhirsch in white is on my list along with the large bellowing stag.

Gary

Dean, Gary
Thanks for the compliment much appreciated.

Jim,
Love porcelain animals and paintings. Another amazing piece and thanks for taking the time to show it.

Bill,
Thank you for the compliment as well and you are correct on all accounts as always. The Doe is a nice Karner piece and as you stated the Goring plaque was made by Rosenthal from the original painting by Willi Exner. Mine still has the period picture frame not seen often which is a real plus to have. The Goring plaques I've seen are unsigned unlike the AH plaques which are signed, the reason unknown to me, but wonder if the original painting of Goring is signed? Maybe Rosenthal missed it in the process for some reason. It's also a shame to find them with the paper backing torn off as well but understand the reason for it and more than likely is done to insure authenticity of the piece by visually checking the marks with a dose of curiosity of something possibly hidden.

I would think the demand for AH plaques considerable compared to the Goring plaques. I'm unsure of how many were made,destroyed and or kept,so can't say if one is rarer than the other, but I think it's safe to say both are probably scarce.

I fully agree Bill, The Goring plaque is by far a much better rendered piece than the AH plaque. Thanks again.

Here is the Ibex in their natural settings, the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. I lived and worked in Bishkek for four years. I hiked the mountains year round and it wasn't until my fourth year that I finally got to see an Ibex. Jim

Greetings, all. I'm a relative newbie to the whole German porcelain scene, having only really started collecting about three or four years ago, and only participating in one other forum with a section devoted to the art.

However, thanks to Bill (WWII), I have registered to this forum in the hopes of finding another place to congregate with fellow enthusiasts. I spent some time perusing this entire thread and I admit I am stunned at the exceptional quality and variety of pieces posted here.

I can only hope that in the future I will have the good fortune to add such magnificent works to my humble collection as well.

Regards,
T.

I previously posted these photos on another board.

This is a terracotta ceramic bust of the Bamberger Reiter, made by the German company Hertwig Katzhutte, probably in the 1930's. This statue, part of a larger medieval equestrian stone sculpture that resides in the Bamberg Cathedral, was allegedly a big influence on Himmler and the Nazis because of its Aryan features. They also thought the figure might represent an early Germanic king. It measures about 13 inches tall.







T.

T,

A very hearty welcome to the forum, it's a pleasure having you join us!

The Reiter that you've posted is simply spectacular, I'm sure our regular contributors will agree. Besides the pleasing red-brown color there's something about figures made from Böttger Steinzeug that makes them so appealing to the eye. This bust has to be one of the most impressive clay figures that ever went into production and must be very hard to find in this good condition. A joy to behold.

Congratulations on finding such a wonderful piece and letting us take a look. I'm already looking forward to your next post and hope you will enjoy being with us.

Best!

Bill

Tiberius

Welcome to the forum, a very attractive bust, I look forward to seeing more of your collection.

Gary

Tiberius,

Welcome,and hope to see more of your collection!

Greetings All,

Very interesting to see your Reiter bust, Tiberius. As I have a similar piece, I thought I would post it here for review.

The photos are somewhat poorly lit, but one can see that the color is a matte finished umber, not a genuine terracotta hue. I am of the opinion that my version is a modern reproduction. Any and all feedback is welcome.

Best Regards

*Here is a close up of the makers mark, located on the reverse of my bust. It says Karlsruhe.

Thank you, gentlemen, for the warm welcome.

Albrecht, I think your Reiter bust dates to about mid-century, possibly 1940's. I have a hefty stylized glazed red clay horse from the same company with that mark that is from about the 1950's, very retro. I think I've seen some terracotta hunting dogs by the company at auction before. If you look up Karlsruhe on the internet, you'll probably bump into some other pieces.

I notice that your bust has the signature elongated neck of the Reiter, whereas on my piece they seem to have shortened the neck a bit for whatever reason.

Fun comparison!

T.

My particular area of specialization in porcelain collecting is vintage and antique horses. I just did an overhaul of the arrangement of my main display shelf the other day and took some photos. Here is one shelf featuring some of my favorite German pieces.



From left to right, they are:

Back row - Rosenthal large white stallion by Legat, Hertwig large mare and foal, Goebel rearing stallion by Bochmann.

Front row - Rosenthal 'Mohammed' horse by Karner, Kaiser kicking donkey by Bochmann, Hutschenreuther donkey foal by Tutter, Nymphenburg Chamois (one of my latest acquisitions and a total showstopper!), and Hertwig mare and foal.

Enjoy!

T.

Those Reiter bust are sweet.Thanks for posting them.
Tiberius, that kicking mule is a beauty and it stands out as my favorite in your photo.

Tiberius

Wonderful collection of horses, some great models there, I'm a white porcelain freak so the two stallions to the left are the one's that stands out for me, these are such noble beasts and yours show this trait to a tee.

Gary

Dean and Gary, thanks for your kind comments! I happen to have larger photos of the pieces you pointed out, so here goes:







That's a Hutschenreuther rearing foal next to the donkey. Also one of my favorites.

T.

Albrecht, Tiberius, et, al,

Good to see you both here, alive and well and graciously contributing to our porcelain/sculpture thread, danke!

Albrecht's additional Bamberger Reiter bust is interesting to see, what a pair those two would make! There are quite a few variations on the mounted figurines, too. The large model is always a popular collectible at auction and normally fetches top-dollar. Funny that there's so much debate over who the rider actually is ... though, whoever he might be, the porcelains are exquisite.

T - great job on your horse collection, you've got some very fine pieces there. I saw a great early Rosenthal rearing stallion recently, by our old friend Theo Kärner. It was an enormous, most impressive sculpture, easily dwarfing the large models he produced for Allach. First of its type in all-white I've seen and I was very tempted to buy it, but I couldn't figure out a fail-safe method to get it home. The only way would have been to hold it on my lap for eight hours or have a pro pack it and mailed. Never saw it in the books or catalogs, but a stunning beauty nevertheless! Keep an eye peeled, it would bowl you over ... I believe the same large, painted Rosenthal model just came up for grabs on eBay, as we speak...

My latest catch is a young Indian elephant (male) by Nymphenburg, 1916.

I first saw this wrinkly bugger during my recent trip to Germany, in the lovely city of Munich. He was sitting in a pawn shop window next to a very large rearing stallion also by Prof. Kärner - both were way-overpriced, but nevertheless gems. It took all my willpower to resist, but my better judgement finally won out, heh ... one in a row for me. I went home with my hard-earned dough still in pocket...

To my pleasant surprise, a couple of weeks later I saw a German dealer in Berlin had the exact same "Elefant" on his website, in perfect shape, so I made him an offer. Hot ziggedy ... we completed the deal for about one-third of what I almost shelled out for it - sometimes you just catch a lucky break...

Best!

Bill

Friends,

Looking forward to hearing from some of our old crew, any new additions over the summer?

Here's a pair of Meissen Steinzeug "wabbits..." I had the smaller Deco-looking fella for a while but recently added the hare sitting up on his haunches. Hope you might enjoy them.

Good hunting!

Bill

Nice incredible stuff as usual Bill.The works on this thread with their life like detailing are stunning and the skills these artist must of had is amazing.
Is the cast iron colored finish on the large rabbit a rare type of finish?
Impressive thread to say the least.

Great rabbits, Bill! I've always wanted a horse in the bottger redware but they're far between and pricy to boot. Thanks for your kind comments on my horse collection. I did see the fabulous huge Rosenthal 'High Spirits' Karner, but alas, far out of a grad student's budgetary means.

However, I did pick up a wonderful piece last weekend that I will be sharing here soon. Not a horse, but exquisite nonetheless.

Keep on sharing these beautiful figurines, gents!

T.

Alright, got around to photographing the piece I mentioned yesterday. The person i bought it from had a hard time parting with it; and I can hardly blame him!

A very nice high quality Rosenthal painted porcelain plaque, featuring St. Jerome, painted by Einsiedler von S. Koninck. It's in a gorgeous gilt and wood frame and measures 15 x 17 inches overall.





I'm not entirely sure when this was made or how many were produced. Does anyone have any ideas? Thank you!

T.

Dean,

The story behind the stoneware is a most interesting glimpse into European life on the continent during the early 1700's.
Here's a quick but colorful description of the origin of 'Steinzeug' in Germany ...

Alchemy Chemistry, Porcelain and Bottger
By: Laura Evans

Those practicing alchemy chemistry during the 17th and 18th Centuries were frequently imprisoned to either keep them working or keep them from sharing "secrets" and, if the going got really tough, were hung for their failures. Young Johann Friedrich Böttger was exactly in this position in the early 1700's.

Europeans Greedy for the Secret

Ever since porcelain arrived in Europe from China, Europeans struggled to replicate the recipe for making this fine ceramic and failed. China closely guarded the secret. Augustus the Strong, the Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, was one of the wealthy Europeans who collected porcelain at a feverish pace. Augustus the Strong wanted porcelain and wanted money.

Johann Böttger had a classic alchemist's education. His abilities were well known enough that when the King of Prussia summoned him, Böttger bolted to Saxony to stay out of harm's way. Unfortunately, Augustus the Strong also knew about Böttger's abilities, captured him, and put him under guard. Böttger struggled to change metal into gold and, of course, failed.

Böttger teams with Tschirmhaus

Fortunately for Böttger, Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirmhaus, a noted physicist and mathematician, was also in the King's service. Tschirmhaus had been working for years to find the formula for porcelain. Böttger joined Tshcirmhaus in working on the project. Böttger was on the road to success when he produced the hard red stoneware that bears his name, Boettger porcelain. Unfortunately, Tschirmhaus died in 1708, one year before Böttger put together the puzzle and produced real porcelain. This did not end Böttger's woes. Augustus the Strong still wanted gold and also wanted to prevent anyone else from getting the formula for porcelain.

In 1710, the Meissen factory opened under Augustus' patronage to produce commercial porcelain. In 1713, Meissen offered European porcelain for sale for the first time. And what about Böttger? While Böttger was a free man when he died at the age of 37 in 1719, he died a penniless alcoholic.

Pretty wild story, eh?

Tiberius,

It looks as though you've found another incredible piece for your growing collection, I admire your good taste. The piece is titled, 'Einsiedler,' which can mean monk or hermit or convey the message of deep-thinker, which St. Jerome certainly was. I believe the 'von S. Koninck,' means after an original painting by Koninck, who lived from 1609-1659.

I can't give you a production date as I don't have enough experience with those lovely markings found on the plaques and other limited-edition series. Professor Fritz Klee of the Hutschenreuther Kunst Abteilung also had some exquisite markings on the bottoms of his pieces, too. Let us know if you get some more info on this, please?

Can't wait to see your next acquisition, much good luck!

Here's one of my recent finds, a big ol' fatso Javan Rhino by Meissen. I'm not certain of the age of this unit either, but I think it's safe to say he's at least around a hundred and twenty-five years old, from the marks - hope we look this good at that age too.

Best!

Bill

Thanks, Bill, for your insight into translating the markings on the plaque! Also, thank you for your kind comments. I will certainly be sure to post whatever info I can get about the piece.

That's a great story about the history of Meissen and Bottger. Porcelain is so commonplace today one would never think that at one time it was so precious.

Your Rhino is awesome, top notch as usual. The fishscales on his legs are an interesting touch though lol.

Regards,
T.

T,

You're more than welcome!

A fairly good size lion by another personal favorite, Max Esser. Max's works are more Deco in form than Kärner's ultra-realistic style, with a heavy dose of Romantic-era flair thrown in for good measure. If you'd like to see some more of his outstanding work try a google search and click on the photos option ...

Löwe - (Lion) 1927 -28.

ahh yes, one more quick observation ... for those that say GDC is strictly a "dagger/edged weapon-oriented" forum, well, maybe you're right..? Have therefore added a photo including another of Bazs' delightful F. Dula models ...

Wishing all of you "simply the best" in collecting!

B~

2/2

Willi:

You take my breathe away.

John

I love looking at this thread, hopefully within the next couple weeks I can add something new.
Thanks to everybody for showing all this lovely art.

Gary

Bill,
Holy crap that's a fine make of a lion! Love the deers, elephant, and horses and all, but that lion is unreal! Thanks for showing it! Has great detail as the great sculpture the Lion of Lucerne has, which if you've never went to see it you should, it's an awesome sight and an experience you will not soon forget.

Mikee,

Agreed, the Swiss lion is a powerful, stunning monument. Mark Twain described the sculpture of the mortally wounded lion as,
"the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world."

There's no doubt that Europe's the best place to visit if you appreciate fine animal sculptures, no matter what medium one prefers - stone, bronze, wood - fine and/or decorative arts, so many wonderful, pre-1945 European animal sculptors out there to discover and enjoy, from all the various nations.

Löwendenkmal 1820-21

Moving away from animals, I managed to pick up an early Herend item in Hungary. Dating from 1923, it pictures a Boy Scout.

I thought that the Scout motif would complement my military and semi military collection.

Here it is,

John

John,

How do you do it? All those lovely etched bayonets, edged weapons, fantastic medal groupings, etc, etc.. and you still find time to ferret out neat little porcelains and other artworks? heh .. That's some tidy aggenda, mein Herr. The little fella looks like he'll make a fine guard for your squirrels, eh?

It happens that I recently came across a piece with a fine Hungarian pedigree, too. One of Ferdinand Liebermann's unusual early pieces, a depiction of a young boy squabbling with an angry penguin over a nice, sweet, fresh crab, is aptly titled, "Brotneid," or just simply, "Jealousy."

The model first appeared on the market for Hutschenreuther in 1910, this example being produced some years later during the first-half of WWI. This one's also nicely marked with a Hungarian luxus-tax stamp and the fine war-period, Hutschenreuther company logo.

Beyond a doubt Liebermann was a prolific master-sculptor whose works are highly prized today, much like Prof. Kärner's - many animals, famous figures from the operas and tales and even some outstanding stuff for the Nazis, to include one of the more famous, lifelike and sought-after Hitler busts.

Best regards to all !

W~

John Z,

As promised and delivered on Fedex-time, for you, good mssr.,

... a most wonderful, early Kärner fox, check out this bad boy,
get on the "good-foot..!"

I think the vixen went to "Earl Scheib, King of Paintjobs ..."

An absolutely superior painting to compliment the good Professor's lively observation! Try painting something like that on your outhouse, mon dieu !!!

Best!

W~