Centrepiece - Biscuit porcelain
05
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€ 1
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Selected by Florentin Brunz Gaborieau
Holds a master’s in Art History, specialising in Second French Empire and Dutch Golden Age.
Estimate € 180 - € 200
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Art Nouveau porcelain biscuit centerpiece, circa 1900–1915, hand‑painted with gold and relief details, depicting a neoclassical female figure with a stylised lyre and a cherub, with a shell‑shaped base about 21 cm wide that rises to 22 cm tall and 13 cm deep, attributed to Bohemian/Austrian workshops (Royal Dux Bohemia or Amphora Teplice) and showing discrete wear with minor edge chipping and old restoration lines.
AI-assisted summary
Description from the seller
This centerpiece develops on a base shaped like a large asymmetric shell or crumpled leaf (a characteristic of the organic vocabulary of Art Nouveau), decorated on the front edge with reliefs of grape clusters and fruit.
In the center of the composition rises a neoclassical female figure in a plastic pose, depicted wearing a draped garment in pale yellow and ivory tones, enriched with elegant gold and pearl relief details. In her right hand the woman holds a stylized lyre (with missing parts). Beside her stands a Cupid (putto with wings), looking with a sweet expression at the viewer while holding a scroll. The putto’s left arm has been glued back in restoration but without missing parts.
The work fuses the delicacy of biscuit porcelain (with a matte, velvety finish reminiscent of marble) with the freshness and sinuosity typical of Bohemian and Austro-German manufactories of the turn of the century.
Technical Details and Manufacturing
Period: About 1900 – 1915 (Art Nouveau / Belle Époque era).
Manufacture: Attributable to the Bohemian/Austrian area, in the famous style of Royal Dux Bohemia or Amphora Teplitz (Ernst Wahliss). Although it does not show visible factory marks on the base (which is hollow as per tradition for these large cast pieces), the ivory, olive green, and light ochre pigments, together with the gilded beads applied to the dress, are iconic material and iconographic elements typical of Austro-Bohemian productions of the period.
Material: Hand-painted biscuit porcelain with gold finishes and relief details.
Dimensions: Base width of about 21 cm (as visible from the photo with a tape measure).
Condition
The object is in generally fair/good condition for its age, but shows some signs of wear and small period restorations that attest to its history:
There is a chips/damage on the jagged edge of the front shell (right side).
Presence of an old restoration line at the height of the putto’s left arm and wing.
Slight surface wear of the patina and dust accumulation in the cavities of the biscuit porcelain, not restored to preserve its originality.
(Please carefully view the rich photo gallery, which is an integral part of the description).
This centerpiece develops on a base shaped like a large asymmetric shell or crumpled leaf (a characteristic of the organic vocabulary of Art Nouveau), decorated on the front edge with reliefs of grape clusters and fruit.
In the center of the composition rises a neoclassical female figure in a plastic pose, depicted wearing a draped garment in pale yellow and ivory tones, enriched with elegant gold and pearl relief details. In her right hand the woman holds a stylized lyre (with missing parts). Beside her stands a Cupid (putto with wings), looking with a sweet expression at the viewer while holding a scroll. The putto’s left arm has been glued back in restoration but without missing parts.
The work fuses the delicacy of biscuit porcelain (with a matte, velvety finish reminiscent of marble) with the freshness and sinuosity typical of Bohemian and Austro-German manufactories of the turn of the century.
Technical Details and Manufacturing
Period: About 1900 – 1915 (Art Nouveau / Belle Époque era).
Manufacture: Attributable to the Bohemian/Austrian area, in the famous style of Royal Dux Bohemia or Amphora Teplitz (Ernst Wahliss). Although it does not show visible factory marks on the base (which is hollow as per tradition for these large cast pieces), the ivory, olive green, and light ochre pigments, together with the gilded beads applied to the dress, are iconic material and iconographic elements typical of Austro-Bohemian productions of the period.
Material: Hand-painted biscuit porcelain with gold finishes and relief details.
Dimensions: Base width of about 21 cm (as visible from the photo with a tape measure).
Condition
The object is in generally fair/good condition for its age, but shows some signs of wear and small period restorations that attest to its history:
There is a chips/damage on the jagged edge of the front shell (right side).
Presence of an old restoration line at the height of the putto’s left arm and wing.
Slight surface wear of the patina and dust accumulation in the cavities of the biscuit porcelain, not restored to preserve its originality.
(Please carefully view the rich photo gallery, which is an integral part of the description).
Details
Era
1900-2000
Porcelain type
Biscuit porcelain
Number of objects
1
Country of origin
Austria
Material
Porcelain
Style
Art Nouveau
Condition
Fair condition - heavily used & with possibly minor parts missing
Height
22 cm
Width
22 cm
Depth
13 cm
Estimated period
1910-1920
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