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

Tristan, you have no idea how jealous that horse-filled post of yours made me.

You guys have been posting a lot of great stuff lately. I haven't purchased anything recently, but have a couple items on my radar. *crosses fingers*

Keep up the great eye candy!

T.

Thanks, Tiberius; keep us 'posted'.
On the subject of birds, that is a lovely item , Bill, and here is my Silk Tail by Krieger (I think one of the few items by that artist in the Allach period).

Tiberius,

Good luck with the hunt, can't wait to see your latest addition.

Tristan - The Seidenschwanz or Cedar Waxwing has always been one of my favorite Allach birds, though, they're really all fantastic. I'm not sure what makes it so appealing, perhaps it's the understated detail or the elegant, flowing lines of the regal pose? What I am certain of is this is one of the finest porcelain waxwings ever produced, I can't think of one that even comes close..?

Though Wilhelm Krieger was not as prolific as some of the other Allach sculptors, his work reflects a keen eye and hand. Both his waxwing and the eagle exhibit a great blending of Jugendstil/Deco influences, certainly a product of his formal studies and training.

Over the past several years I've only seen a handful of his works for Heubach and Hutschenreuther, those too, are very seldom seen. Do Dennis Porell's new books have good biographies on the Allach artists? (haven't had a chance to splurge for those yet, but I will)

Best!

Bill

Thanks, guys. Happily, I *did* get one of the items I've been after. Should arrive in a few days, and I'll definitely share that piece here.

In the meantime, I've dug back into my collection "archives" as it were and photographed this interesting piece I picked up on ebay about a year and a half ago.

It's a well-done (alas, unmarked and unsigned) white porcelain bust of the controversial yet popular Pope Pius XII, who, as you probably know, presided over the Vatican during WWII. I haven't been able to find another one like it so I can't say for sure how old it is, but the quality suggests to me that it is not a new piece.

Any thoughts on origin or age are most welcome!

T.

Fresh from the UPS Truck, I present this handsome bronze Alsatian canine bust. It is signed 'DORMA' on the back of its neck. I actually suspect it dates more from the turn of the century than Imperial/WWII. Measures 4.5" tall.

I really like the detail of the fur and the texture of the studded collar. It looks like it was once affixed to a base - which I'll probably try to replace at some point.

T.

T,

Now that's a 'horse of a different color...'

I was pleasantly surprised with your latest post, it's the first time I've seen this bust of Pius XII. He must have had his hands full dealing with Hitler and his policies, making sure his 'flock' didn't have too much trouble living under the Nazis. Negotiating with Adolf must've been akin to dealing with the devil himself, and must've given the old boy fits and nightmares ... Modern history is now trying to lay blame on the Pontiff for having looked the other way when it came to protecting Jews and other religious minorities in Italy and throughout Europe.

Among his priorities was his duty to protect the rights of Roman Catholics, first and foremost. All things considered, I think he did his best coping with the very precarious situation he found himself in. Talk about having the 'Sword of Damocles' hanging over one's head..!' Also let's not forget that a bad decision could have caused the Luftwaffe to pay a special visit to the Vatican, in a moments notice ...

Do you think it's a German or Italian porcelain and would you have an idea as to a production date? A most interesting and thought-provoking piece for your collection, very neat.

Just saw your new shepherd addition, congrats! Do you have any other bronzes tucked away and can you tell us something about the artist, Dorma? I shouldn't think it has anything to do with Puccini's opera, Turandot?

Thanks and best regards!

B~

Bill pointed this out on flea-bay and, at first, my squirrels voted to stay away from this cloven-hoof item.

Not Imperial, not even TR, but a fine little sculpture, supposedly by Karner.

It was like Christmas chez JohnZ this week, the mailman (actually the mailwoman) delivered 5 items this week (an Eick transitonal 1938 dated SA, three Eick etched bayos and this fine furry friend).

John

John,

That is an *awesome* deer figurine and all your wonderful photos give a great view of just how fine the detail and quality of the piece is. I'm glad you didn't balk at the prospect of having some cloven-hoofed critters share the woodland with your squirrels. Congrats! It's so nice to see it arrived safely to your above - glad that the seller did a great job packing.

Bill,

Thanks for your comments - and I'm even surprising myself that stuff I'm posting here lately is not horsey in nature! As a matter of fact I have another non-horse piece en-route to me. What is the world coming to?!

Now that you mention it the Pius XII piece could be of Italian manufacture, which hadn't crossed my mind before, but it makes sense given how Catholic Italy is and the fact that the Vatican is located within its borders. Otherwise, I really no nothing else about the piece and would appreciate any input from our knowledgeable crowd!

For my part I was always willing to give ol' Eugenio a bit of a break. You're right, it must have been insanely challenging for him to navigate the delicate political web that existed at the time.

As for the bronze German Shepherd, I've tried and tried to find more information about the mysterious 'DORMA' who signed the piece. However, I can find nothing. What is interesting is that I found a French company called 'Bertin' that manufactured a recast replica of this bust as a silver hood ornament in the 1930's - in fact they even scraped off Dorma's signature and replaced it with their own. Bloody thieves! If you go to http://www.mascot-mania.co.uk/ and click on Accessory Mascots, select the 'Animals-Dogs' choice from the pulldown menu, and scroll down to '1930s German Shepherd Head by Bertin' you'll see this. I only found this because I had a suspicion he might be an early hood ornament, but I do think that the Bertin version was a recast, particularly because of how weak the detail of the fur is around the signature on the hood ornament compared to my bronze version.

Anyhow, here's one more photo of the dog, which I feel better captures his charming expression than the photos I posted yesterday:



Regards,

T.

Bill,John,

Personally, I think the both of you can be mighty proud of your tits. Thanks for showing them off and allowing us a peek! John, congrats on winning that Doe and Fawn and although I will never tire of staring in awe at yours and Bill's tit's, that Doe and Fawn one can't help but admire, just a real pleasure to see.

T,

Nice stuff as always! I've visited the Vatican a few times so I know they have a nice gift shop, maybe it came from there. Worth a try anyway. Has nothing to do with your Dorma, but love to hear Nessun Dorma. Paul Pots http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA

John and Tiberius...great stuff, but my fav has to be the porcelain doe and fawn, so reminiscent of his later coloured standng and sitting doe.
JOhn...what is a 'transitional' 1938 SA (dagger?)?

Tristan:

The so-called transitional SAs are ones the have two TMs, the standard seated squirrel holding sword and the RZM mark as well. Many times, the SA and the HJ transitionals also have the year of production with the TMs.

Here is an example on the SA that I just got.

John

Thanks, John. For your info I've posted (in the dagger section) pic of an SS dagger I used to own that has the RZM mark but no maker.

Good evening, gents,

I am very excited to post about the latest addition to my collection of German porcelain, which was made possible thanks to the generosity of a dear friend to whom I am very grateful.

Presented below are photographs of a female fencer ( Die Fechterin, perhaps? ), produced by the Alboth and Kaiser (Alka Kunst) porcelain manufactury after the war. She is marked with a stamp that was used from 1930's up until 1958. The mark says W. Germany, so the piece is definitely postwar, but still from the 1950's at the latest.

The mold itself might have originated during the war - hard to say because I've never seen another one like her. Alas, she is unsigned, but I think it's fairly evident that the sculptor had considerable skill, even if the piece is slightly stylized. The creases and details of her clothing can be seen, from the leatherwork on her shoes to the buttons along the side of her tunic. She measures 12 inches tall and, in contrast to the Allach Der Fechter's uber-delicate porcelain blade, has a curved shiny silverplated steel blade affixed to the hilt of the foil and running through her fingertips on the opposing hand.

Anyhow, enough waxing enthusiastic from me, bring on the photos!











Perhaps someday I can get my hands on an Allach Fechter to be her fencing partner, eh?

T.

Tiberius,

Your new "Fechterin" is new to me, too, I've never seen this lovely lady before.

Other than some older horse-drawn carriges and similar figures, it's rare to see porcelains finished off in combination with other materials, ie., plain or decorative wire, other metals, glass, ivory, etc. - rare from that standpoint alone. I wonder if any of our mates who specialize in Allach have seen this version of a fencer before?

I hope you can figure out the artist's name and share that with us in future? I wonder if turns out to be someone we're familiar with?

Nice detail throughout her lithe atheletic pose, there's no doubt she'd make a great companion to Obermeier's impressive work.

Looks like you've had quite a run of good luck lately, and another fine addition to our thread.

Thanks and best regards!

Bill

Bill,

Thanks for your insight. It really is a shame that she isn't signed. I wonder if the company ever made a corresponding male fencer, as it's not unusual for figurines to be made in pairs. I'll definitely keep you posted if I find any other information about her.

Haha, my luck is not as much a run as you might expect right now. The Pius XII bust is a piece I've had for a long time and just felt like sharing. However, I do feel very fortunate to have the luck to add this piece to my collection.

Take care,
T.

Earlier my friend and I were discussing the larger Bamberger Reiter busts produced by Rosenthal, especially those from 1933 - '45. We'd both noticed that there were a couple of examples up for auction and both had only one trefoil/finial on right side of the crown. Both were listed as being in mint condition, having no chips, cracks or repairs.

Besides the photos that we have of the Reiter here, (a few pages earlier) there's a great thread on WAF that Robin Lumsden started, that lists several different versions of this particular bust. The thing you'll notice immediately is the variety of different crowns depicted throughout that thread and here - almost no two are the same and they all have more than one trefoil. hmmm ..?

Is anyone familiar with this Rosenthal anomaly? Even their mounted Reiter has two finials on his crown, so what's the deal, simply artistic license? I have a feeling that the single ornament is correct on the Rosenthal examples, however, I wonder if anyone can validate this with a catalog photo or first-hand experience?

Good collecting and thanks!

Bill

2/3

Rosenthal examples ...

Will comment on the Reiter thread later, but in the meantime here's a photograph of the original sculpture in Bamburg. It looks to have at least two finial devices on the crown. - T.

T,

Recently got this Meissen Steinzeug Fohlen, (foal) by Willi Münch-Khe. First sculpted in 1928 this colt is roughly 9.5 inches long and can be found in pure white porcelain as well as the red stoneware version. Münch-Khe did a whole series of young animals for the company, I think we have at least two or three of his other fine works listed earlier in this thread.

Thought you might enjoy this neat little pony.

Best regards to all !

Bill

I find the Reiter very interesting. My bust in thread # 237889 was made by Hertwig Katzhutte. From what I understand, they also made the terracotta version as well?

Bill - If you just purchased that foal within the last week or two then I was also a contender for it. However, for some reason that particular Meissen foal doesn't appeal to me aesthetically - maybe because he seems like he's in such an uncomfortably compact pose - so I didn't bid much. He's got great detail, no doubt, but just didn't excite me enough, even though it's a Meissen Bottger horse. I'd rather save up for one of the big boys - like 'Alchimist' or 'Packard', both by Erich Oehme. Glad you were able to add him to your menagerie though! Congrats!

Erich - Yes, the terracotta Reiter bust is mine and it was also made by Hertwig. He has the number 2948 molded underneath the base.

T.

T,

That's the one - glad you didn't bid too much against me.

I've been enjoying the Steinzeug pieces for a while now, that stone just has a great feel and look to it. I consider myself lucky to have gotten anything by Münch-Khe for such a fair price. The only thing that would be better is getting an Esser for that kind of money, heh.

Even if the foal's not your cup of tea, I believe our mate Gary has recently picked up a very lovely piece of white porcelain that he might be sharing with us soon ... I'm sure his latest acquisition will make up for the slack.

Have a great Fourth and good hunting to everyone!

Bill

A while since I've had anything to add directly to this thread,a beautiful owl which has lunch in his talons made by the Schwarzburger Werkstät company, I've yet to pin down the artist so I'm open to your thoughts on this matter, I did find that Max Adolph Pfeiffer did produce an owl for this firm but that's not really conclusive. It measures 8" high and 12" from head to tail, a fair size piece certainly one of the largest I have.

Hope you enjoy.

Gary

Gary,

Nice find!

Gary, I presume this was the piece that Bill was referring to. A very fine and stylish owl, to be sure! I really like how his wings are tensed and just slightly unfurled, as if in preparation to take off with his tasty prize.

Congrats!

T.

Gary,

Now that's a fantastic barn owl you've found old friend! Without doubt one of the best unpainted owl sculptures I've ever seen, and you know how many I've looked at over the past several years ...

Superb composition, pose and detail to this fine unit, the artist hit a 'bases-loaded, out-of-the-park home run' with this fine work. This bird of prey ranks right up there with Wilhelm Neuhäuser's Waldohreule for Allach and Max Esser's owl sculptures for Meissen - now that's some good company to be in.

Looks like he's got a vole in his grasp, as a rat's tail would be slightly longer. I'm sure the artist who fashioned these lovely creatures would tell you so himself, heh.. I do hope you can figure out who was responsible for this avian masterpiece. I'll be checking too, as soon as I get caught up with some work.

For our friends who might be enjoying this model with us, I can assure you finding a really good owl porcelain is something akin to looking for the proverbial needle ... so many are simply plain kitsch and a terrible waste of good clay! Many times when they paint these things, they tend to wander even further down the wrong trail. I'm not too fond of the later and newer versions either, those with the matte color palettes and finishes. Some of the sculptures are very good, but the flat paint schemes just don't do it for me.

I'll take a nice gloss finish any day. For anyone who smokes cigars or cigarettes, I'd advise keeping bisque and matte-finished porcelains tucked well inside a good cabinet. What might be good for daggers is pure hell on items like those.

You've found 'the best of all worlds' with this one G, very well done and many thanks for the nice pics.

Best!

W~

Gary:

That's a Beaut!

John

Thanks fella's, it's a really nice model that fits in well with my collection.

Gary

Stopped by the local antiques mall on the way home from work today and came home with this flashy fellow:





And with Flash...





This is a circa 1940's American Bison figurine made by the Hungarian ceramics firm Zsolnay. It is finished with the company's signature metallic blue-green 'Eosin' art glaze. While the sculpt itself is buried under the layers of glaze, I find the metallic finish to be very attractive in its own right. For admirers of the sculpt, Zsolnay has produced it in a natural coloration as well that has much more mold detail.

I've always admired Zsolnay Eosin pieces, but I've never run across one that 'spoke' to me like this powerful animal does. Such a shame that Zsolnay seems to have only produced one horse in the form of a small unremarkable foal. Can you just imagine a majestic stallion executed in Eosin? *dreams*

T.

T,

Great buffalo, I think it's the first time I've seen this model by Zsolnay. I'd be tempted to go for this big guy myself.
Just enough detail to convey the power of the beast, great how you can see the rib structure.

I bought one piece of Zsolnay for a good friend years ago, a super little frog about four inches tall. It was very Art Deco and also in their famous green/blue iridescent finish.

Even if it's not German it's a great choice amigo, thanks for sharing it with us.

Best!

Bill

Thanks, Bill.

It really is difficult to capture the full beauty of Zsolnay's Eosin art glaze on camera. The closest thing I can compare it to is the iridescence of a Peacock tail feather - lots of jewel-like blues and greens with hints of gold and copper.

Glad you enjoyed,

Regards,
T.

That's a beautiful work of art, a great figure, I like the way he is pawing the ground, his shape is fantastic and those colours are super.


Gary

With the blessing of Herr Warda, I am posting some photographs of my latest horse sculpture. This is an Arabian Stallion by Kaiser of Germany. It was sculpted by Wolfgang Gawantka in the 1970's, but I think it can still be appreciated by regulars of this thread for its excellent sculpt and quality. The detail is very fine, and if you look closely you can see where the veins are evident on the sides and legs.

The horse measures 10 1/2 inches tall and was acquired from a local man whose mother purchased it in Germany when they were stationed there in the 1970's.

Enjoy.

T.

T,

Nice Arabian pony! I like Kaiser, i think Bill and I have shown an item from this company. Congratulations on another nice find.

T,

I knew our regular crew would appreciate seeing this fine specimen regardless of its age. It's got to look exceptional in and amongst your other fine pieces.

If you have some free time in the future, could you take a few 'group-shot' snaps? Maybe two or three together?

I also want to take this opportunity to thank you again for your valuable help earlier today, gracias!

Bill

Thanks, Mikee and Bill!

I'll see what I can do about some 'group photos' sometime.

And Bill, no problem! Happy to be of help.

Regards,
T.

Fellow Collectors,

Not the best eagle that I've got but it has some very good qualities to it. It's a fair size at about 13x14 inches, has lots of detail to the body and especially the feathers. Made by Wallendorf most likely in the 1950's, well done and made of fine quality hard paste.

Has anyone seen this model before? First I've ever seen it so I'd be interested to hear, thanks!

Bill

2/2

Great stuff shown here, here's my addition to the fold.

Gary