Art Nouveau Group 'Capture Of A Nymph', by Paul Helmig, Meissen Germany, Ca 1902
About the Item
- Creator:Meissen Porcelain (Manufacturer),Paul Helmig (Sculptor)
- Dimensions:Height: 7.88 in (20 cm)Width: 14.57 in (37 cm)Depth: 11.03 in (28 cm)
- Style:Art Nouveau (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1900-1909
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1902
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Vienna, AT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1014436364872
Meissen Porcelain
Meissen Porcelain (Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen) is one of the preeminent porcelain factories in Europe and was the first to produce true porcelain outside of Asia. It was established in 1710 under the auspices of King Augustus II “the Strong” of Saxony-Poland (1670–1733), a keen collector of Asian ceramics, particularly Ming porcelain.
In pursuing his passion, which he termed his “maladie de porcelaine,” Augustus spent vast sums, amassing some 20,000 pieces of Japanese and Chinese ceramics. These, along with examples of early Meissen, comprise the Porzellansammlung, or porcelain collection, of the Zwinger Palace, in Dresden.
The king was determined, however, to free the European market from its dependence on Asian imports and to give European artisans the freedom to create their own porcelain designs. To this end, he charged the scientist Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus and aspiring alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger with the task of using local materials to produce true, hard-paste porcelain (as opposed to the soft-paste variety European ceramists in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy and Spain had been producing since the late Renaissance). In 1709, the pair succeeded in doing just that, employing kaolin, or “china clay.” A year later, the Meissen factory was born.
In its first decades, Meissen mostly looked to Asian models, producing wares based on Japanese Kakiemon ceramics and pieces with Chinese-inflected decorations called chinoiserie. During the 1720s its painters drew inspiration from the works of Watteau, and the scenes of courtly life, fruits and flowers that adorned fashionable textiles and wallpaper. It was in this period that Meissen introduced its famous cobalt-blue crossed swords logo — derived from the arms of the Elector of Saxony as Arch-Marshal of the Holy Roman Empire — to distinguish its products from those of competing factories that were beginning to spring up around Europe.
By the 1730s, Meissen’s modelers and decorators had mastered the style of Asian ceramics, and Augustus encouraged them to develop a new, original aesthetic. The factory’s director, Count Heinrich von Brühl, used Johann Wilhelm Weinmann’s botanical drawings as the basis for a new line of wares with European-style surface decoration. The Blue Onion pattern (Zwiebelmuster), first produced in 1739, melded Asian and European influences, closely following patterns used in Chinese underglaze-blue porcelain, but replacing exotic flora and fruits with Western varieties (likely peaches and pomegranates, not onions) along with peonies and asters.
During the same period, head modeler Joachim Kändler (1706–75) began crafting delicate porcelain figures derived from the Italian commedia dell’arte. Often used as centerpieces on banquet tables and decorated to reflect the latest fashions in courtly dress for men and women, these figurines were popular in their day, and are still considered among Meissen’s most iconic creations. Kändler also created the Swan Service, which, with its complex low-relief surface design and minimal decoration is considered a masterpiece of Baroque ceramics.
The rise of Neoclassicism in the latter half of the 18th century forced Meissen to change artistic direction and begin producing monumental vases, clocks, chandeliers and candelabra. In the 20th century, Meissen added to its 18th-century repertoire decidedly modern designs, including ones in the Art Nouveau style. The 1920s saw the introduction of numerous animal figures, such as the popular sea otter (Fischotter), which graced an East German postage stamp in the 1960s. Starting in 1933, artistic freedom was limited at the factory under the Nazi regime, and after World War II, when the region became part of East Germany, it struggled to reconcile its elite past with the values of the Communist government. In 1969, however, new artistic director Karl Petermann reintroduced the early designs and fostered a new degree of artistic license. Meissen became one of the few companies to prosper in East Germany.
Owned by the State of Saxony since reunification, in 1990, Meissen continues to produce its classic designs together with new ones developed collaboratively with artists from all over the world. In addition, through its artCAMPUS program, the factory has invited distinguished ceramic artists, such as Chris Antemann and Arlene Shechet, to work in its studios in collaboration with its skilled modelers and painters. The resulting works of contemporary sculpture are inspired by Meissen’s rich and complex legacy.
Find a collection of authentic Meissen Porcelain on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Vienna, Austria
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Art Nouveau Group 'Mother With Child', by Paul Helmig, Meissen Germany, ca 1912By Paul Helmig, Meissen PorcelainLocated in Vienna, ATVery rare Meissen Art Nouveau porcelain group: Mother in a dress decorated with elaborate Art Nouveau decor sitting on a fabric-covered stool and playing with her son, who is wearin...Category
Vintage 1910s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Art Nouveau Bowl with Nymph and Girl, by P. Helmig, Meissen Germany, ca 1910By Meissen Porcelain, Paul HelmigLocated in Vienna, ATExquisite Meissen Art Nouveau porcelain group: Flat oval bowl with an irregular, wavy lined and partially pierced rim, on the narrow sides two naked figures facing each other, a young girl and a young woman with long hair playing in the waist-deep, foaming water, the girl spreading...Category
Vintage 1910s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen Art Nouveau Group 'the Air' by Paul Helmig, Germany, Around 1900By Meissen Porcelain, Paul HelmigLocated in Vienna, ATVery rare and excellent Meissen porcelain group around 1900: Juno, the Roman goddess of the air (Greek Hera), as a young woman with her hair pinned up, covered only with a cloth, si...Category
Antique Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen Art Nouveau Group 'The Air' by Paul Helmig, Germany Around 1900By Paul Helmig, Meissen PorcelainLocated in Vienna, ATVery rare and excellent Meissen porcelain group around 1900: Juno, the Roman goddess of the air (Greek Hera), as a young woman with her hair pinned up, covered only with a cloth, sit...Category
Antique Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Art Nouveau Children Group 'Two Girls', by A. Koenig, Meissen Germany, ca 1912By Meissen PorcelainLocated in Vienna, ATExtremely rare Meissen Art Nouveau porcelain group: Two barefoot girls in summer clothes, the older one in a striped skirt and white and blue long-slee...Category
Vintage 1910s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Art Nouveau Children Group 'Two Girls', by A. Koenig, Meissen Germany, ca 1940By Meissen PorcelainLocated in Vienna, ATVery rare Meissen Art Nouveau porcelain figure group: Two barefoot girls in summer clothes, the older one in a green-brown skirt and white long-sleeved shirt with blue stripes, her hair pinned up in two side bunches, the younger child in a red-purple dress sitting on the ground, holding her by the arm and pulling her up. The model is part of a series of beach motifs by Alfred König. Based on a white round base with a relief structure on the side and a gold rim. Very lifelike and loving representation of the characters and the details Designer: ALFRED KÖNIG (1871 - 1940) studied at the art academy in Dresden, since 1897 he worked in the Meissen manufactory as a designer and modeler. The artist specialized in the design of human figures in various variations, such as genre figures, children, athletes, soldiers etc. Model B 290...Category
Vintage 1910s German Art Nouveau Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen Art Nouveau Figure of a Girl with Cherries by Paul Helmig, circa 1910By Paul Helmig, Meissen PorcelainLocated in Philadelphia, PAA fine German Art Nouveau porcelain figurine. By Meissen. Modeled by Paul Helmig. Depicting a a girl holding a basket of cherries in one hand and eating cherries with the other. D...Category
Early 20th Century German Art Nouveau Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsPorcelain
- Antique German porcelain group of Venus with Cupid by MeissenBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in London, GBAntique German porcelain group of Venus with Cupid by Meissen German, c. 1750 Height 20.5cm, width 11cm, depth 12cm This charming Meissen porce...Category
Antique Mid-18th Century German Rococo Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen Porcelain Revelry GroupsBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in New Orleans, LAThis charming pair of Meissen porcelain figures celebrates the essence of Revelry. First modeled by the renowned Johann Joachim Kändler on bases by Peter Reinicke, circa 1767, these ...Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Rococo Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsPorcelain
- Important Meissen Porcelain Groups of Caparisoned Elephants and SoldiersBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in New York, NYAn important pair of Meissen Porcelain Groups depicting "Alexander The Great Concurring India". Modeled with Alexander the great's three warriors/soldiers riding on caparisoned eleph...Category
Antique 1880s German Rococo Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen Porcelain Summer and Fall Figural GroupBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in New Orleans, LAThis beautiful Meissen Porcelain figure entitled Summer and Fall is part of the company's beloved Seasons series. The putti rest upon a rocaille-formed base holding representations o...Category
Antique Late 19th Century German Other Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsPorcelain
- Fabulous Meissen Porcelain Group of Count Bruhl's "Tailor on a Goat"By Meissen PorcelainLocated in New York, NYMeissen's “Count Brühl’s Tailor on a Goat,” is considered by many professionals as one of Meissen's greatest works. This marvelous figure is after the incr...Category
Antique 1880s German Other Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain