Pair of 19th Century KPM Porcelain Plaques
View Similar Items
Pair of 19th Century KPM Porcelain Plaques
About the Item
- Creator:KPM Porcelain (Manufacturer)
- Similar to:Rembrandt van Rijn (Artist)Peter Paul Rubens (Artist)
- Dimensions:Height: 15.75 in (40 cm)Width: 13.39 in (34 cm)Depth: 2.37 in (6 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Baroque (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:19th Century
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:Seller: 154381stDibs: LU95639705203
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.
- Porcelain Plaque of a 19th Century German Market by KPMBy KPM PorcelainLocated in London, GBThe 1844 summer market in the town of Lengerich, in the western German province of Westphalia, is the subject of this antique KPM porcelain plaque...Category
Antique Mid-19th Century German Paintings
MaterialsPorcelain, Giltwood
- Orientalist KPM Porcelain Plaque of Interior SceneBy KPM PorcelainLocated in London, GBOrientalist KPM Porcelain plaque of interior scene German, 20th century Frame: Height 71cm, width 64cm, depth 4cm Plaque: Height 50cm, width 39cm, depth 0.5cm Painted in the Or...Category
20th Century German Moorish Paintings
MaterialsPorcelain, Giltwood
- 19th Century KPM Porcelain Plaque, After Old Master PaintingBy Adriaen van der WerffLocated in London, GBThis fine KPM porcelain plaque depicts the biblical story of the expulsion of Hagar by Abraham. Abraham is shown bearded in a blue robe, as he casts away his mistress Hagar and her s...Category
Antique 19th Century German Paintings
MaterialsGiltwood, Porcelain
- 'Oriental Girl' German KPM Porcelain PlaqueBy KPM PorcelainLocated in London, GBOrientalist 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. 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. The plaque still bears the retailer's label to the reverse reading 'Gilman Collamore & Co, Union Sq. NY'. 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 girl, her hair bound up in the Orientalist fashion, wears an armband as well as hoop earrings. The interior in which the scene is set is hung with luxurious textiles and decorated with gilt detailing. 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 reverse also bears a written inscription reading 'Orientalisches Mädchen / L. Sturm', the title translating to 'Oriental girl...Category
Early 20th Century German Paintings
MaterialsPorcelain, Giltwood
- KPM Style Porcelain Plaque of Orientalist Bazaar SceneBy KPM PorcelainLocated in London, GBKPM style porcelain plaque of Orientalist Bazaar scene German, 20th century Measures: Frame: Height 78cm, width 53cm, depth 5cm Plaque: Height 60cm, width 35cm, depth 0.5cm This fin...Category
20th Century German Paintings
MaterialsGiltwood, Porcelain
- 19th Century KPM porcelain plaque of the Battle of CorinthBy KPM PorcelainLocated in London, GB19th Century KPM porcelain plaque of the Battle of Corinth German, 19th Century Frame: Height 37.5cm, width 44cm, depth 5cm Plaque: H...Category
Antique Late 19th Century German Classical Roman Paintings
MaterialsGiltwood, Porcelain
- A 19th Century KPM Porcelain Plaque of Mary MagdaleneBy KPM PorcelainLocated in Lambertville, NJA beautifully painted porcelain plaque in original giltwood frame. The image of Mary Magdalene after the original Italian artist, Pompeo Batoni. The measurements framed are 16 inch...Category
Antique 19th Century German Paintings
MaterialsPorcelain, Giltwood
- Very Fine KPM Porcelain Plaque of a Young Woman, circa 1890By KPM PorcelainLocated in Brighton, West SussexA very fine KPM porcelain plaque of a young woman in a giltwood frame. German, circa 1890. This fine KPM plaque is superbly painted with a portrait bust of a young woman holdi...Category
Antique Late 19th Century German Paintings
MaterialsGiltwood, Porcelain
- A KPM Hand-Painted Porcelain Plaque of a Japonism Beauty, Signed WagnerBy Wagner, KPM PorcelainLocated in New York, NYA Gorgeous 19th Century KPM Hand-Painted Porcelain Plaque of a Japonism Beauty, Signed by the Artist Wagner Wien .n C. Kiesel. The beauty is seen in a beautiful orange and white kimono...Category
Antique 19th Century German Japonisme Paintings
MaterialsPorcelain
- 19th C. Meissen Porcelain Plaque Depicting Rembrandt and Saskia in the TavernBy Rembrandt van Rijn, Meissen PorcelainLocated in New York, NYAn incredible and very rare 19th Century Meissen porcelain plaque depicting Rembrandt and Saskia in the Tavern. Meissen plaques are incredibly rar...Category
Antique 1860s German Baroque Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- KPM Berlin Porcelain Picture Plaque Portrait of a Girl with Veil, ca 1830By KPM PorcelainLocated in Vienna, ATPortrait of a girl in oriental-style clothing with a headdress and veil in a scenic setting. In original, gilded wood frame with acanthus leaf and oak leaf garland carving. Manuf...Category
Antique 1830s German Biedermeier Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain, Wood
- Wonderful Late 19th-Early 20th Berlin K.P.M. Porcelain Rectangular PlaqueBy KPM PorcelainLocated in New York, NYA wonderful late 19th-early 20th Berlin K.P.M. porcelain rectangular plaque Painted landscape scene with two women and their children playing, the background with two men, one pla...Category
Antique Late 19th Century German Belle Époque Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain, Giltwood