KPM Faux Micromosaic and Pietre Dure Porcelain Déjeuner Service
View Similar Items
KPM Faux Micromosaic and Pietre Dure Porcelain Déjeuner Service
About the Item
- Creator:KPM Porcelain (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 7 in (17.78 cm)Diameter: 4.5 in (11.43 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 12
- Style:Other (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1817
- Condition:
- Seller Location:New Orleans, LA
- Reference Number:Seller: 30-40881stDibs: LU89115173973
KPM Porcelain
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. 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. 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.
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. 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. 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. 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. By contrast, this boldly colorful narrative cup and saucer set from the 1840’s depicts scenes from real life as colorfully as a painting. 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. The saucer shows the thief and the glasses, and the cup reveals the scene of the crime in vivid hues.
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. 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. By the turn of the century, KPM was exhibiting its wares to a global audience at international expositions. 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.
By 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. 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. Among the most successful patterns of this era was designer Trude Petri’s Urbino line, which is still produced today. Following World War II, KPM was temporarily housed in the town of Selb, and only returned to its rebuilt quarters in Berlin in 1957. In the 1980s, KPM became an private company independent of the state, and began to focus production on the preservation of historic forms, designs, and techniques. KPM continues to collaborate with designers from all over the world, most recently on the Berlin dinnerware service with designer Enzo Mari, and a collaboration with the luxury brands Bottega Veneta and Bugatti.
- Micromosaic and Pietre Dure Grand Tour CasketLocated in New Orleans, LAThe time-honored decorative techniques of pietre dure and micromosaic are combined in this rare and exceptionally-crafted Grand Tour casket. Serving as a m...Category
Antique 19th Century European Greco Roman Decorative Boxes
MaterialsStone, Bronze
- Russian Malachite and Pietre Dure PlinthsLocated in New Orleans, LAThe exquisite art of pietre dure is at its absolute finest in this spectacular pair of Russian ormolu and malachite plinths. True works of art of the Restauration period, these plinths each feature a matching pietre dure mosaic crafted of the finest stones, all chosen to create a sense of depth and dimensionality in the final work. Depicting an onyx vase with tulips, roses, daffodils, magnolia and other flowers, these pietre dure panels are among the finest examples of this ancient art we have seen. The pietre dure is complemented by malachite panels of the highest quality, exhibiting exceptional depth through its extraordinary cellular structure. Malachite is one of Russia’s most precious stones, and its presence in these plinths indicates commission and ownership by an individual of considerable status. Mounted in an excellent stepped ormolu base, these plinths originally served as bases for vases or candelabra. The overall execution and appearance of these plinths is very characteristic of the taste associated with the immensely wealthy collector Nicolas Demidoff. As early as 1806, Demidoff had commissioned the Parisian goldsmith Henri August to supply a guéridon; in 1819, he ordered famed French bronzier Pierre-Philippe Thomire to supply mounts for a massive malachite vase (now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York), as well as a console table with legs in the form of Nike. Other commissions included a table given as a gift to Grand Duke Leopoldo II of Florence, now in the Pitti Palace. Demidoff eventually settled in Florence in 1822 and became Russian minister to the Tuscan Court. Elevated to the rank of Count of San Donato by the Grand Duke, he built a magnificent villa at San Donato on the site of lands formerly owned by the Medici. The villa was later inherited by Anatole, his son, Prince of San Donato, and there are records which confirm transactions he had with the Opificio delle Pietre Dure. The 19th century proved to be the golden age of Russian malachite. The stone became a sign of prestige and a token of wealth, so much so that Russian papers of the time wrote: "To afford having a big piece wrought in malachite is synonymous to owning diamonds." Year after year the Russian (Romanov) treasury paid increasingly unreasonable prices to hoard the best malachite, much of which went into Romanov palaces and extravagant objets d'art. The Hermitage Museum possesses a collection of over two hundred examples of this “palatial” malachite...Category
Antique 19th Century Russian Pedestals
MaterialsMalachite, Ormolu
$168,500 / set - KPM Porcelain Painting After MurilloBy KPM PorcelainLocated in New Orleans, LAPainted after a work by 17th century Spanish artist Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1617-1682), this enchanting KPM painting on porcelain is a beautiful rendering of the artist's original...Category
Antique Late 19th Century German Other Paintings
MaterialsPorcelain
- Grand Ducal Pietre Dure Console TablesBy Andrea BrustolonLocated in New Orleans, LAAmong the most beautiful examples of hardstone artistry that have ever entered our collection, these important Grand Ducal pietre dure console tables are in a class all their own. Their powerful architectural elegance, impressive size and rarity make them two of the finest hardstone masterpieces ever created and quite possibly the greatest pair of pietre dure tables in existence. With their naturalistically rendered flowers and birds, these tabletop panels showcase the particularly fine quality craftsmanship of the Grand Ducal workshops in Florence during the first quarter of the 17th century. Grand Duke Ferdinando I de Medici, one of the most important personages in the annals of art history, established the Grand Ducal Workshop in 1588. The workshop specialized in the art of pietre dure developed from the ancient art of opus sectile, giving rise to the most luxurious and detailed examples of hardstone artistry ever produced. Its patrons were the Popes and Royals of Europe, and the quality of the objects produced in the workshop is without equal. Typically, because of the high level of workmanship the art form requires, pietre dure plaques were crafted in small sizes. The great majority of known examples of pietre dure are a fraction of the size of our grand tables. The combination of pietre dure and extensive use of other rare decorative hardstones such as lapis lazuli and pietra paesina or “ruin marble” meant that these tabletops were surely produced for a wealthy collector. The tables are further distinguished by their superbly carved bases by Andrea Brustolon, known as the “Michelangelo of wood.” Brustolon was a Venetian wood sculptor known for his exuberant and intricate Baroque furniture. His high Baroque style was influenced by his years studying in Rome, where he was exposed to the sculpture of Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Crafted in the early 18th century, these bases display Brusolon’s unmatched talent for both figural and foliate work, combining cupids, masks and oversized scrolling vines for a grand, ornate effect. Similar furnishings by Brustolon are held in museums worldwide, including the Victoria & Albert Museum, the National Museum of Scotland and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, while the Ca' Rezzonico Museum in Venice features an entire room dedicated to the sculptor. For approximately 150 years, these tables were part of the famed Stoneleigh Abbey collection owned by the Lord Leigh family. This renowned English country estate inspired Jane Austen to write Mansfield Park. Lord Leigh eventually sold the tables at Christie’s London in 1962, and the pair have stayed in the collection of the same Florentine family who purchased them from Christie's until we recently acquired them. Our tables are prominently pictured in the important Saul Levy book Il Mobile Veneziano del Settencento. The pietre dure plaques date circa 1625-1650. The decorative tops likely would have originally been sold with a pair of plain stone columns to display them, and Lord Leigh would have commissioned the custom bases from Brustolon circa 1714 when he added the impressive four-story fifteen-bay Baroque West Wing to Stoneleigh Abbey. A similar single Grand Ducal tabletop is in the United Kingdom’s National Trust Collection, and a smaller tabletop resides in Buckingham Palace. The flower and bird panels in our examples relate to the famous Badminton Cabinet...Category
Antique 17th Century Italian Baroque Side Tables
MaterialsWood
Price Upon Request - Pietre Dure And Doré Bronze Box By TahanBy Jean-Pierre TahanLocated in New Orleans, LACrafted by Jean-Pierre-Alexandre Tahan, the esteemed cabinetmaker to Napoléon III, this jewelry box is a remarkable example of 19th-century European artistry. The box, shaped in doré...Category
Antique 19th Century French Empire Jewelry Boxes
MaterialsStone, Bronze
- Durgin Wentworth Flatware Service, 167 PiecesBy William B. DurginLocated in New Orleans, LAThis rare 167-piece Wentworth sterling silver flatware service was crafted by the celebrated William B. Durgin Silver Company. Each piece bears an intricate, hand-chased pattern featuring florettes, acanthus leaves, scrolls, and an open cartouche surrounding a monogram. Originally retailed by Grogan Company, the leading retail jeweler in Pittsburgh at the turn of the century, this set of 12 is truly exceptional. The set comes complete in its original fitted, suede-lined case. American, circa 1902 Marked "STERLING" with script "D" mark for Durgin and retailer's mark "Grogan Company" Case: 6" high x 23 1/8" wide x 18 7/16" deep This service comprises: 12 dinner knives12 lunch knives12 butter spreaders12 dinner forks12 lunch forks12...Category
20th Century American Other Tableware
MaterialsSterling Silver
$32,500 / set
- KPM Porcelain Coffee, Tea Service, 19th Century, Germany '1834-1837'By Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur (KPM)Located in Delft, NLKPM porcelain coffee, tea service, 19th century, Germany 11 pieces KPM porcelain, marked with the scepter and KPM in blue Tea/ coffee pot, a lidded sugar bowl, a milk jar, 5 comp...Category
Antique 19th Century German Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Porcelain Coffee Service, Rosenthal White Maria, 1927By RosenthalLocated in Chorzów, PLPorcelain coffee service for 12 people. White porcelain with flowers from the excellent German manufacturer Rosenthal. Signed with a mark from 1927. the set includes: - pitcher - ...Category
Vintage 1920s German Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
$835 Sale Price / set20% Off - KPM, Berlin, Large Antique Dish in Hand Painted Porcelain with Floral MotifsLocated in Copenhagen, DKKPM, Berlin. Large antique dish in hand painted porcelain with floral motifs and gold edge, 19th century. Measures: 49.5 x 35.5 x 6.5 cm. In good ...Category
Antique 19th Century German Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Royal Copenhagen Ichthyological Porcelain Part Dinner 'Fish-Service'By Royal CopenhagenLocated in London, GBA Royal Copenhagen Ichthyological porcelain part dinner 'fish-service' Danish, 20th century Plates: height 2cm, diameter 24cm Long dish: height 5cm, width 60cm, depth 24cm Cons...Category
20th Century Danish Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- "Old Paris” Porcelain Dinner Service, 19th Century, FranceBy Old ParisLocated in Delft, NL“Old Paris” porcelain dinner service 188 pieces tableware (200 parts) 19th century French porcelain. Beautiful white porcelain ...Category
Antique 19th Century French Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Antique H & G Heinrich German White Porcelain, Gold Banded Coffee ServiceLocated in New Orleans, LAPresented here is a very elegant and at the same time extremely classic breakfast set from the Bavarian manufacturer H & C Selb Bavaria, Germany Heinrich 1800. The set was made o...Category
Vintage 1940s German Art Deco Serving Pieces
MaterialsGold
$209 Sale Price / set24% Off
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Wear Louis Comfort Tiffany’s Genius on Your Finger with This Vivid Ring
In his jewelry making, the designer rarely used diamonds — this rare example has two.
You Won’t Find a More Handsome Stopwatch Than This 1890s Pocket Chronograph
A Grand Complication from the golden era of pocket watches, the Marius Lecoultre pocket watch does everything but uncork your wine.