A Berlin KPM porcelain plate with painted micromosaic swans
Model no. 1054. Decorated to the centre with two swans in micromosaic painting, surrounded by a border of gilt tendrils in relief, a further band of stylised rosettes in micromosaic, and a band of tendrils in relief on a burnished gold ground interspersed with six micromosaic moths in ovoid reserves alternating with six vases and lyres painted in pietra dura technique in octagonal reserves. Blue sceptre mark with blue dash below, sepia coloured signature "Maywald", impressed 8, incised III. D 24.7 cm.
1803, decorated by Heinrich Friedrich Wilhelm Maywald.
Provenance
Purchased in 2006 from a Berlin private collection.
Literature
Wittwer (ed.), Raffinesse & Eleganz, Munich 2007, no. 31.
Wittwer mentions an entry in the exhibition catalogue of the Berlin Academy in 1804: "Two plates and one cup, with Roman and Florentine mosaic; by Maywald", which leads us to believe that this plate was one of them (p. 200). It is clear that this is a highly unusual piece, not only because of the signature, but also because of the extreme fineness of the decor. The Twinight collection contains two plates signed by this exceptional artist, namely this lot and the next.
Exhibitions
Raffinesse & Eleganz - Königliche Porzellane des frühen 19. Jahrhunderts aus einer amerikanischen Privatsammlung, Berlin, Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten, Schloss Charlottenburg, 28th July - 4th November 2007
Die Sammlung Cohen. Porzellane der grossen Manufakturen 1800 - 1840. Wien, Liechtenstein Museum, 16th November 2007 - 11th February 2008
Refinement & Elegance - Early 19th-Century Royal Porcelain from an American private collection, New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 9th September 2008 - 19th April 2009