19th Century Decorative Wall Plaque Maiolica by M. Krause

About the Item

The factory of terracotta, majolica and faience was established in Swidnica in 1882. It existed for less than 50 years. It was founded by Richard Max Krause, a ceramist by profession. The first name of the factory is “Kunst Terrakotta Waren Fabrik R. M. Krause”. The factory was advertised as a modern plant producing ceramics, mainly decorative, but also utilitarian, corresponding to contemporary tastes. The first products of R.M. Krause referred to historicizing styles. These were plaques, jardiniers, vases, figures and busts in the Neo-Rococo and Neo-Baroque style. After only a few years of activity, terracotta products were abandoned in favor of items made of delicate faience. This type of faience was created in England in the mid-18th century as a result of experiments on stoneware. It is a type of hard ceramic fired at a temperature slightly below 1000 degrees. Fine-grained whitish clay with the addition of kaolin and fluxes is used for production. The fragments of the obtained vessels, quite thin-walled, light and hard, are covered with an alkali glaze. Glaze paints are used for decoration. Krause products are marked with an embossed heraldic shield with the letters "MK" (1882-1930), the same printed sign (used from 1908 to 1930) and a printed sign with the letter "M" and the inscription "Krause" (1920 -1930). In addition, the dating of items is facilitated by the in-house digital system. These are most likely mold numbers. There is a three- or four-digit impression on each product. Items from the first twenty years of the factory's operation have numbers up to approx. 1500. The years 1900-1905 are impressions from approx. 1500 to 3000/3100. The period until the end of World War I ends with the numbering of about 5000. The numbering above 5000 is the last years of the factory's operation, i.e. the period 1920-1930. Currently, several dozen items from the R. M. Krause factory are in the collection of the National Museum in Wroclaw, and a dozen or so in the collection of the Museum of Old Commerce in Swidnica. Products from the R. M. Krause factory were awarded with medals and diplomas at international fairs in Wroclaw, Prague, Berlin, Hamburg, Paris, Madrid and London.

Dimensions:

Height: 9.85 in (25 cm)Width: 5.91 in (15 cm)Depth: 2.76 in (7 cm)

Materials and Techniques:

Ceramic

Place of Origin:

Poland

Period:

19th Century

Date of Manufacture:

1882-1900

Condition:

Wear consistent with age and use.