![]() During this period, the firm’s aim was to produce useful household porcelain for a range of consumers, rather than catering to a small elite. At the end of World War I with the collapse of the Prussian monarchy, KPM was renamed the State Porcelain Manufactory Berlin, continuing to use the name KPM and its use of the cobalt blue sceptre mark that is painted on the bottom of every piece.īy the late 1920’s, the designers and craftsmen of KPM were inspired by the tenets of Modernism, particularly the styles of the Bauhaus and the Deutscher Werkbund. By the turn of the century, KPM was exhibiting its wares to a global audience at international expositions. With the growing popularity of Art Nouveau and the western fascination with Asian ceramics, KPM began formulating glazes that evoked the color palette and rich surfaces of Chinese porcelain. KPM was forced to move from its original location in 1867 due to the building of the new Prussian Parliament building, and this afforded the company the opportunity to to create a new factory with the newest equipment and materials of the day. The saucer shows the thief and the glasses, and the cup reveals the scene of the crime in vivid hues. The set was commissioned by a gentleman for his wife as a tongue-in-cheek gift commemorating her misadventures while in town for a visit to the opera, which resulted in her opera glasses being stolen. By contrast, this boldly colorful narrative cup and saucer set from the 1840’s depicts scenes from real life as colorfully as a painting. One especially lovely example circa 1790 is a neocalssical-style tea service decorated with gold accents and a grisaille design of figures from the ancient world. Unlike Meissen, which was known for crafting porcelain sculptures of dazzling complexity, KPM is revered for the precision and splendor of its surface decoration, and for its porcelain plaques depicting scenes from history and mythology. Many of these objects can be found today in major museums as a result of Frederick II’s penchant for sending KPM porcelain as diplomatic gifts throughout Europe. Thanks to its royal patronage, KPM had the resources and contacts necessary to establish itself as a leading luxury producer, and supplied Russian and European elites with tableware in the Rococo and Neoclassical styles, as well as monumental vases, and decorative plaques. Like Augustus II, Elector of Saxony, the patron of Meissen and a keen collector who described himself as suffering (quite happily) from “porcelain sickness,” Frederick II was proud to refer to himself as KPM’s “best customer.” KPM produces china and figurines to this day, and throughout its long history, it has been a style-setter for elegant tableware, particularly in the 1930’s, the period during which their popular patterns Urbino, Urania and Arkadia were designed. KPM was the third incarnation of a company originally founded in 1751 by Wilhelm Caspar Wegely to take advantage of the burgeoning market for “white gold.” On the verge of bankruptcy, Wegely sold his inventory and tools to Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky, who in 1761 established another porcelain factory, which also failed, and was subsequently taken over by Frederick II of Prussia in 1763. The Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin, or KPM (Royal Porcelain Factory, Berlin, in English) was one of the most influential porcelain factories to emerge in 18th-century Germany, along with Nymphenburg and Meissen. Sturm', the title translating to 'Oriental girl'. The reverse also bears a written inscription reading 'Orientalisches Mädchen / L. The plaque is housed in a giltwood frame and is marked to the reverse with the sceptre mark of KPM porcelain, together with the retailer's label. The interior in which the scene is set is hung with luxurious textiles and decorated with gilt detailing. The girl, her hair bound up in the Orientalist fashion, wears an armband as well as hoop earrings. The plaque is rectangular in shape, and portrays a young girl, swathed in rich, red draped clothing, reaching upward to give food to a white dove perched on a wire. The plaque still bears the retailer's label to the reverse reading 'Gilman Collamore & Co, Union Sq. Manufactured by famed German firm KPM, the plaque was retailed in New York by Gilman Collamore & Co., who imported high-end works of porcelain and glass. Orientalist style works became very popular in the 19th Century, and the tradition continued into the early 20th Century, when this fine porcelain plaque was produced.
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