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Cool!

Thanks, guys.

Not collected anything for a while but this beauty has just turned up. It is a 47cm tall sitting eagle, by Karl Ens of Volkstedt. I think is about 1920 but unsure. There is also the initials 'AB 20' on the side of the plinth, but again I do not know what this signifies. The deatil on the rear feathers is marvellous, but still lacking in comparison with Allach
I have put a small Allach Sheperd Dog alongside for size comparison.

Nice!

John

Tristan,

Thanks for your latest post, it's been too long since we've seen something new.

At nearly 50cm that is one impressive raptor, it literally dwarfs that fine Allach pooch. This is the first time I've seen this large eagle by Karl Ens and it's a beauty to be sure. It reminds me of August Gaul's great eagle Fliegerdenkmal at the Wasserkuppe, Rhön, where the DLV flyers practiced in their gliders during the 1930's.

I've never been a big Ens fan but this model is truly something special and well out of the ordinary for that company. I've looked at their birds for years and always felt they lacked something, especially their painted models. One very rarely sees anything in pure white by this prolific producer and it certainly is a treat to see this piece. If you could post or send me a photo of the marking I'd really enjoy having a look at it.

Congratulations on adding this excellent and imposing sculpture to your collection.

Best regards!

Bill

Thanks guys...I'm very pleased with it. The designer is A. Berg and this explains the 'AB20'marking.
The 'ENS' marking is very small and my photo cannot show it well, but here is a coloured version of the piece I found on the web with a little more information.

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/21095216_karl-ens-volkstedt-bird-of-prey-1920-h-47-cm

T,

Thanks for the link, I'll post that photo below. Will post the ENS mark for those who might be interested, too. This mark in green is their pre-'45 logo.

The bird looks great in color, very nice! Once again, a great find to add to your superb collection.

Best!

B~

Thanks Bill...here's a mirror shot of the white bird to complement the coloured version.

A very handsome raptor, Tristan, and a great addition to your already fine collection.

Though I have to say that the photo of the color glazed version that Bill shared is absolutely magnificent!

T.

Tiberius,

So good to see you back on the forum, it's been quite a while. I hope your studies have been going well, are you coming down the home-stretch yet? Did you have a chance to work on your collection, find any nice horses or other goodies lately? I'd like to add this Meissen pony for you, Steinzeug, by Willi Münch-Khe. I recently added this one to my collection.

Something else I'd like to share with the forum is another piece of Meissen that was recently up for grabs on eBay. The starting bid was a handsome 2K and nobody went for it. I'm not sure if it was re-listed for a third time? The figure is that of the "Merry Prankster," Till Eulenspiegel, who was mentioned in this thread previously. The prankster, jester or fool has been rendered by most of the important porcelain houses at one time or another and Meissen produced at least three variants. The model 73347 we'll look at was crafted by Alexander Struck and is normally found in a nicely painted version. There's something about this all-white figure that I really enjoy, even though I can't explain it properly..? Hope you all might enjoy it too.

Best!

Bill

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Thanks for the return welcome, Bill. I have indeed completed my studies, graduated, and am in the job market. Hopefully something will turn up soon!

Funny you should post that Meissen Bottger foal (which is, of course, very nice), as I have recently acquired a large 1950's era terracotta foal of similar design. It was made by the Karlsruhler Majolika company, and was sculpted by Elsa Bach. Much cheaper than a Meissen (until I can afford one!), and I find the rough-hewn look to be quite charming.




I also found this nice Vienna bronze pony last year. The wood base is a newer replacement I suspect, but the figure itself is old. Not a Bergman this time, but it is marked 'Austria' and has great detail.

I've added several other horses to my herd as well, but they're of newer vintage and origin than what usually passes here. I am, however, currently stalking a nice porcelain equine which I will share here if I am successful in bidding and it makes it to me safely. *crosses fingers!*



I also picked up this bronze-finished spelter metal stag at a local estate auction. It is unsigned, but reminds me of some of the fine Allach and bronze pieces that have appeared in this thread.





That Meissen figure is really something else, Bill. The Jester has a certain coiled pose that's full of energy and quite visually appealing. I can see why it catches your eye. I think it is also unusual that he is holding an owl, in lieu of the usual raptor-type avian.

Great to see you gents still posting treasures!

T.

T,

Then congratulations are in order for completing your studies and the best of luck to landing a good job!

I've always admired Elsa Bach's deer figures for Karlsruhe, didn't she sculpt the first models for Walt Disney's, Bambi fawn? Many from that deer series she modeled have the distinct look of those early animations. As for being cheaper than the Meissen Steinzeug I'm not so sure, her foals and fawns seem to be fairly expensive, too. I recently added my first piece of Karlsruhe Majolika to my collection, it's a lion cub that's larger in scale than the Rosenthal and Schwarzburg cubs. The cub figures by those two outfits usually command a very good price, especially Kärners baby lion.

Your Austrian bronze is very nice, I like the look of his/her long shaggy mane. It looks like on of those sturdy Russian, little Panje ponies. Talk about pricey, some of the Bergman's are fetching crazy money and I hear that market is also saturated with good fakes as well. I'm lucky to have one big old Austrian bronze lizard that I got for a song years ago. Lot's of neat and unusual animal sculptures to be found in the Bergman line.

That Hirsch is a very nice find, I'd never have guessed it was Spelterware from the photos, it looks pretty heavy to me. Great pose and anatomy to the beast and a lovely, ornate base. Definitely a keeper.

As always, thanks for sharing with all of us, much appreciated. Hope your luck holds out and you end up with that piece you've got an eye on.

Best!

Bill

Thanks, Tiberius...likewise nice to see you back in the saddle again! (no pun inteneded).
That Meissen, Bill, looks quite devilish as if he knows a lot that we mere mortals do not.
Here is another recent addition to the 'Alte Fritz' collection. Again, an EMS (in green) figure but much smaller than my existing piece.

Apologies for my photographic efforts!

Tristan,

Two nice renderings of "old Fritz," King of Prussia, an enlightened, benevolent absolutist monarch. For those who enjoy reading German history but haven't touched base with Frederick II, I strongly advise and recommend that you at least read a brief biography of the old king. He was truly "a man for all seasons." A fabulous story of wars, politics, economy, religion and the arts that shaped the future of Europe as we know it today.

Both are the perfect size for someone's desk or collecting room and well within most of our budgets. These two are nicely detailed and capture the essence of the man. In a word, delightful !

Great additions to your collection of white-gold.

Best regards!

Bill

Hello gents,

I am extremely excited to share with you two of my most prized equine figures, both of which are recent acquisitions from private collectors.

The first is one I've sought for a long time. The Pawing Foal by Hans Achtziger, produced by Hutschenreuther. This piece was also done in a dappled gray/white pattern, but I find that the chestnut brown coloring better enhances the sculpt details. The tree branch and leaves on the base are very finely done as well. Just a great dynamic sculpt, perfectly capturing the energy of a frolicking foal.



As for the second? I was trembling when I received this one; praying that it had survived its journey. Shown below is a rare Meissen bottger sculpture of the race horse 'Alchimist', by Erich Oehme. It is signed and dated 1938. It is the smaller version of this beautiful sculpture (Meissen also produced a huge sized version), but still packs a lot of punch. I cannot express how grateful I am to have the privilege of owning this figure and I hope that someday, I will be able to acquire its big brother.





T.

Tiberius,

It's easy to see why these two are among your favorites. The names Hans Achtziger and Erich Oehme both figure prominently in the world of 20th century porcelain sculptors. Both artists have distinctly different styles and are each responsible for a large number of highly sought-after animal figures.

To my mind Achtziger has a very playful style with a good many of his portrayals, though, some are more straightforward and realistic. He somehow reminds me of the great Danish pianist and conductor, Victor Borge, as strange as that may seem. Here was a man who was supremely talented and yet chose to make light of things, as only a true master can do. The sculptor seems to convey exactly that same "lightheartedness" in his repetoire, by not taking himself too seriously and reflecting that in his work. On the other hand, when he opted for very realistic models he could easily do that as well.

Your lovely colt figurine has that light, lively feeling and the painting is excellent. There are just so many subtle variations throughout the coloring, bringing the animal to life in this fine portrait. There's a fantastic action to the piece that gives the viewer that true sense of the young animal, frolicking and playing simply for the sheer fun of it.

Oehme's rendering is more like a formal portrait, regal, refined and very realistic. One gets the feeling of power from this elegant thoroughbred, his muscles just waiting to take him to a full gallop at a moment's notice. The medium also adds much to the sculpture, it's easy to see why Meissen decided to make use of its formula for Böttger Steinzeug again. It defintely adds to the already first-class study.

Congratulations on adding these two fine animals to your collection, they certainly are beauties.

Best regards!

Bill

Great additions, Tiberius!

Thanks Bill and Tristan!

And now to share an Ebay listing guaranteed to make your inner porcelain aficionado faint out of sheer awesomeness: http://www.ebay.com/itm/PORCELAIN-25-PAR...CO/321374105352

Also known as, an absolutely magnificent, monumental sized Macaw sculpted by Theodore Karner, glazed by R. Bock, produced by Nymphenburg.

Does it get any better than that? Phew!

T.

Wow!! The Postage alone is, well...wow!

Tiberius,

This beautiful sculpture is Kärner's Ara, or macaw, and was first manufactured by Nymphenburg in 1913. This lovely bird also graces the cover of the 1984 German publication, "Theodor Kärner - Gedächtnisausstellung," or memorial exhibition.

These early pieces that he sculpted for Nymphenburg are really incredible and the painters they had on the payroll were some of the most talented porcelain painters in the country at that time. The introduction of the airbrush into this field really brought about a whole new dimension in bringing these animals to life.

Thanks for calling our attention to this fabulous work of art.

Best regards!

Bill

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It's said we learn something new every day and so it goes ...

I was pleasantly surprised to find this old porcelain manufacturer that shared its WKC moniker with edged-weapons producer, Weyersberg, Kirchbaum & Cie. Figures produced by this company are actually fairly common in today's German porcelain market, but I never took notice of them before adding this tiger to my collection.

A bit of background on the company ...

WKC - Weiß, Kühnert & Co. - Gräfenthal, Thuringia
(1891 until 1972)

The company began production in 1891 and most items they produced were predominantly made for export. The business slowly grew and in 1913 employed just over 200 people, producing items like religious figures, bathing beauties, Frozen Charlottes, bonnet dolls, doll heads and Kewpies. Based on their flawless reputation, the company became one of the few selected European facilities which were allowed to produce Mickey Mouse figures under Disney license from 1929 onwards which resulted in a few more people being employed for the job and so the company reached their peak employment of 250 people in 1930, a number that remained constant until 1937. The company of was also known for producing pieces simply marked 'Relpaw' - the name of a German company that sold aquarium-related products which purchased these ready-marked items from Weiß, Kühnert & Co..

During World War II, the company was ordered to produce items for the German war machine and all master molds were simply stored away for future use. After World War II the factory was put under military management until 1949 and following the founding of the German Democratic Republic the factory was constrained to produce utilitarian items such as beer steins and ordinary tableware.

The tiger's base is marked with the impressed letters WKC above two angular crossed lines and the model number 11593.
The overall length is about 11 inches by 5 inches tall. The growling feline is well proportioned with good attention paid to the animal's anatomy. The light plays nicely on the shadows and highlights that define the big cat's muscles. There is no artist's mark or signature to help us identify the sculptor. All in all, a fairly good rendering of Panthera tigris, hope you enjoy.

Kind regards!

Bill

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A fine feline, Bill, and proof that it is possible to find good figures from second-tier porcelain companies. This particular cat - with its heavy muscling and poise - reminds me of bronze pieces by Antoine-Louis Barye, the famed animalier sculptor.

Thanks for sharing and congrats!

T.

Bill, your knowledge of all things porcelain never ceases to amaze me!

I have now finished the 3-piece set of the Allach 1940 Flower Show awards. The painted-base piece is 1st prize, the unpainted is second, and the smaller one is 3rd prize. According to Dennis Porell's book the smaller of the three is the rarer. All are by Karl Himmelstoss, and are un-numbered.

Tristan,

My little bit of knowledge about German porcelain only scratches the surface, like a chicken pecking at the top of a tall mountain ...

WOW !!! Your hard work and persistance is abundantly evident with this latest post of Himmelstoss figures. I can only imagine the hours you spent searching and finding these three outstanding prizes from the 1940 flower exhibiton. Well done good sir, well done.

Best regards and thanks for always sharing with us!

Bill

Thank you, Bill.

This is always one of my go to sections on the forum.. Nothing but the best in antiques (collectibles) and manners here always.
Regards: James

Thanks for your comments, Damast. I have just bought an Imperial set of sword hangers from an American gentleman with the same nom de plume...is this you by any chance?

I've just been lucky enough to fnd an excellent example of Karner's small coloured German Shepherd Dog (No. 11), and he fits very nicely with his other canine colleagues!

James,

Glad to hear that you enjoy visiting here. Thanks to our members Tristan, Tiberius and other good friends there's always some exquisite porcelain to look at.

Case in point, Tristan's latest post of marvelous Allach shepherd dogs. To those who know how difficult it can be to find just one good example, here we have the small and large versions, not only in white but also in color. For me it's simply amazing to see all of Professor Kärner's shepherds together like this and like the Guinness saying goes, "brilliant!!!"

Tristan, I have a question for you please ... what are you going to do to top this? Simply amazing.

I recently put together a pair of Meissen hares by Max Esser, though, nothing quite as outstanding as T's dogs. These came from one of the two chess-sets that Esser designed in the late 1920's. These hares come from the land-animal set and the other represents sea-creatures. I've seen the complete sets being auctioned and fetching between 10-20K! Every now and then you'll see a single piece for sale or auction at a reasonable price, but they're far and few between. Hope you might enjoy these neat little Art Deco examples.

Best!

Bill

Thanks Bill. I think I'm geting to the outer financial edge of Allach (for example see Mohawk's current auction),so it will slow up and be replaced by other porcelain pieces...but, heh, you never know what happens if you keep your eyes peeled!

What particular chess pieces do these little critters represent?

Tristan,

The Meissen web site has them in the bishop's position, I guess that's correct since they're making them..?

I'd have guessed due to size a knight, where the ibex is standing. A couple extra snaps I found of the ocean creatures too.

Best!

Bill

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Hello gents,

Tristan, those Alsatians are quite wonderful - very elegant and poised. It's great to see them in their varied sizes and colors together. Well done!

Bill, thanks for sharing those chess sets. Very impressive how much artistry and attention to creative design and details were incorporated into them.

I'd also like to share a recent addition to my porcelain equines, another acquisition from a private collector.

This is a foal produced by Metzler & Ortloff, a German porcelain manufacturer located in Thuringia. The specific marks dates its production from between 1930 to 1972. It is unsigned, but I suspect it is the work of well-known artist Fritz Diller, who sculpted for such firms as Hutschenreuther and Rosenthal, produced a number of animalier bronzes, and also sculpted and signed a standing adult horse figure for M&O. Examples of this piece are scarce; likely due to the relative obscurity of the company, and I am very pleased to be able to add it to my collection.

T.

Tiberius,

Thanks for sharing your new colt with the forum, it's always a pleasure to see what our friends turn up next.

Here's a rare and interesting, very early Meissen sculpture by Kaendler that recently caught my eye. A Wisent or European bison and a boar in mortal combat.

Best!

Bill

Thanks Bill for the chess piece's images - a quite unique set! and Tiberius for that dainty pony, although he does have a rather malevolent glint in his eye!
I hope to post a nice horse item shortly!

A couple of horse items:
Frstly, though rather off topic, attached is a link to a local attraction recently completed which comprises two 30 metre horse heads made from steel plates, situated next to the Edinburgh motorway...worth a visit if any memebers are in the area.
http://www.thehelix.co.uk/discover-helix/the-kelpies/

Secondly, my recent Allach acquistion, the Karner Standing Horse. Smaller and more static than his other pieces but nonetheless beautiful in shape and style.

Tristan,

The kelpies short film was most enjoyable, those massive horse heads remind me of Thorak's large-scale sculptures. I'm just as impressed with your latest "small-scale" figure by Professor Kärner, which we don't see too often. This is the first one I've seen in someone's collection and it's surely a beauty!

I know I've said this on several occasions throughout this thread, that Theodor Kärner has to be one of the finest animal artists of the 20th century. His repetoire of deer and horse figures seem almost endless, not to mention dogs, birds and so many other representatives from the animal kingdom. One could spend an entire lifetime collecting his work alone.

As always, I'm very grateful to everyone who shares their fine works of art with us. I hope that seeing these lovely sculptures we might inspire others to appreciate and maybe even join us in our passion for collecting fine German porcelain.

A hearty congratulations on your latest acquisition.

Best!

B~