Live Auction 17468The Collector: English & European 18th & 19th Century Furniture, Ceramics, Silver & Works of Art
A MONUMENTAL BERLIN (K.P.M.) PORCELAIN FIGURAL CENTERBOWL AND COVER (BOWLENGEFӒß)
Lot 160 PROPERTY FROM THE JAMES K. LI COLLECTION

A MONUMENTAL BERLIN (K.P.M.) PORCELAIN FIGURAL CENTERBOWL AND COVER (BOWLENGEFӒß)

CIRCA 1891, BLUE SCEPTRE MARK, DESIGNED BY DIRECTOR ALEXANDER KIPS, THE FIGURES MODELED BY ERNST WAGENER, THE SCROLLWORK AND VINE LEAVES BY ALBERT, HINKE AND SEIFERT

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USD 35,000

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A MONUMENTAL BERLIN (K.P.M.) PORCELAIN FIGURAL CENTERBOWL AND COVER (BOWLENGEF?ß)
CIRCA 1891, BLUE SCEPTRE MARK, DESIGNED BY DIRECTOR ALEXANDER KIPS, THE FIGURES MODELED BY ERNST WAGENER, THE SCROLLWORK AND VINE LEAVES BY ALBERT, HINKE AND SEIFERT
In the Neo-Rococo style, applied allover with lush fruiting grapevine, the finial formed as a pineapple supported by three putti, one with a lion pelt, the rocaille-molded bowl with three scroll feet surmounted by figures, including a scantily clad male and female offering roses, she also with a cornucopia spilling roses, and a bearded Bacchanalian figure above musical instruments including a tambourine and pan-pipe
36 in. (91.4 cm.) high; 33 ½ in. (85.1 cm.) wide, overall

By tradition, commissioned by Kaiser Wilhelm II.

Specialist note


Compare the example in the Kunstahuas am Museum, Carola van Ham in Cologne, Germany, illustrated by E. Köllmann and M. Jarchow, Berliner Porzellan, Band II, Berlin, 1966, Tafel 241, p. 327, and here noted as being created as a gift for Kaiser Wilhelm II.

The decorative taste of the late 19th century is epitomized by the massive scale and detailed decoration of this centerpiece. The characteristic rocaille scrolls, dripping grapevine, playful putti and bacchic figures exemplify the Neo-Rococo style and accentuate the grandeur of the bowl. A polychrome-enameled example of this impressive centerpiece bowl was exhibited at the 1893 Chicago Exposition alongside other works by the KPM factory and the Glory of Germanica tile painting by Alexander Kips. See Hubert Howe Bancroft, The Book of the Fair, Chicago, 1893, p. 186.