Category: Crockery and decorative objects

The white surface of the pitcher is sculpturally decorated with curved lines that unfurl into stylised palmettes below the opening, and it is covered with blue floral motifs. It features a prominent spout and a profiled handle. There is no damage, and it is in excellent condition.

ENGLAND is stamped at the bottom of the pitcher, but the manufacturer is not visible. Based on analogies with other pitchers from this period, we conclude it is produced by Ridgway, featuring the Saskia pattern.

The larger clock has a quatrefoil shape containing a polygonal field with concavely indented sides and an inscribed circle with a clock face. Parts of the quatrefoil are tinted brown, and the upper and lower parts of the polygonal section are decorated with a painted floral motif. The clock face retains Roman numerals and a smaller hand, while a portion of the larger hand is missing.

The smaller wall clock also features a porcelain plate on the front side, but elaborated in the shape of a coat of arms. The edges are intricately designed with relief floral motifs and scrolls. The porcelain is painted, and within the prominently raised central circular frame, there is an inserted round metal white enamelled clock face with black Roman numerals. The hands are missing, and a brass pendulum in the shape of a circular plate used to hang on the clock.

The clock manufacturer hails from the German region of Schwarzwald, better known by its English name, Black Forest. The first clocks began production as early as the 17^th century, gaining popularity in the 18^th century when clock-making industries flourished. Crafted from wood, their distinctive feature was the cuckoo bird announcing the time. Over time, they became renowned for producing high-quality and accurate clocks, expanding their materials to include the production of porcelain wall clocks.

The washing set consists of a white porcelain basin and pitcher. The edges are trimmed with gold paint, which has faded over time. The pitcher also had a gold band running along the middle of its body, which has worn away with time. The pitcher is 20 cm tall, and the basin has a gently curved rim outward, measuring 35 cm in width.

The manufacturer is a Czech (Czechoslovakian) company M. Zdekauer ALTROHLAU, established in 1810 by Benedict Haßlacher in the town of Stará Role. In 1884, the Moritz Zdekauer bank took over the company, and thereafter, the dishware often featured the manufacturer’s mark: MZ Austria. In 1909, the company was bought by C. M. Hutschenreuther, and since then, the dishware has been marked as MZ Altrohlau. In our specimens, we don’t find the typical stamped mark but an embossed M. Zdekauer ALTROHLAU, indicating a period between 1884 and 1909, as after the purchase in 1909, only the initials MZ were embossed.

The teapot is made of metal and has a capacity of two litres. Its entire surface is decorated. The base is accentuated with stylised acanthus leaves that continue into a wide vessel with a spout. It is divided alternately into rectangular panels with notched corners filled with heraldic motifs and stylised ornaments resembling acroteria arranged in two rows.

The domed lid is divided into panels filled with scale-like ornamentation. It has a pronounced rim crown with alternating motifs of acanthus leaves and mirror-symmetrical duck heads. The lid handle is missing.

Two stylised handles (acanthus leaves) hold a profiled wooden handle. Engraved at the base is the inscription: SOCIETE DE CHOUBERSKY 20, BOULEVARD MONT MARTRE.

The bronze vessel is of oriental origin. It is considerably wider in the upper half and tapers towards the bottom. Its surface is adorned with geometric and swirling ornamentation. A band, breaking at blunt and sharp angles, forms stylised interlaced rosettes completely filled with swirling decoration, forming a star in the centre. On the vessel’s shoulder, there is an Arabic or Ottoman calligraphic inscription adorned with swirling ornamentation. The domed lid features a wattle decoration of interlaced two-strand bands, with the only unadorned part being the shallow neck.

The dating of the vessel cannot be accurately determined as it lacks any manufacturer’s marks, and oriental vessels were used for 300 to 400 years. It can be confidently stated that it dates before 1909 as it appears in Vlaho Bukovac’s painting White Slave. Our collection does not comprise this particular painting, yet we do possess a photograph (KB-1060) and its postcard reproduction (KB-1105/6). Indeed, the vessel is a common motif in Vlaho Bukovac’s paintings, such as in the work Daughter Jelica Painting from 1921 (KB-983).

The bulbous-shaped vase (KB-160) stands on five small feet, two of which are partially damaged at the top. The vase is pink with irregularly placed applications, and the opening is undulating and curved outward – transparent along the edges, as are the feet.

The pink bulbous vase (KB-367) stands on three transparent feet with a curly, relief decoration that undulates across the vase’s surface. It has a shallow neck and an outward-flared opening. It is well preserved, except for a shallow chip in the upper third.

There are no manufacturer’s marks on the vases, but based on other analogies, they are likely of English production and from the period between 1890 and 1910.

The first products of this glass colour (cranberry glass) were likely made in the Bohemian region in the early 18^th century. They are crafted by inserting a thin layer of red or pink glass within opaque glass. The increase in its shapes and production occurred in the mid-19^th century, following the abolition of glass taxes and after the First World Exhibition. Its peak in popularity was from 1870 to 1930.

The vase is divided into two white fields in the central part, painted with floral and animal motifs (birds), as well as human figures. It is framed with a golden border and bands featuring botanical and geometric ornamentation. Warm ochre, green, and golden tones prevail. The lower part of the vase is broken into multiple pieces that have been glued together.

Satsuma ceramics are specific for its particular decorating technique, called moriage, which is a type of enamelling. Moriage is the term used to describe the delicate layering or application of clay onto parts of ceramic.

The problem with our example is that there is no identification mark on the vase, so we cannot determine the year and artist with certainty. It roughly dates back to the late 19^th century or the beginning of the 20^th century (1868 – 1912, Meiji period) because it was then that Satsuma ware, that is, Japanese ware as such, appeared for the first time at European exhibitions and was exported for sale.

This type of vessel is commonly depicted in Bukovac’s paintings, and it can also be seen in the left corner of Fantasy (KB-970).