A Berlin KPM porcelain "Munich" vase with flowers and fruit
Munich form vase, type 1. Fired in two parts and screw-mounted. Painted with two bouquets separated by vertical bands of imitation agate and gilt etched arabesques. The foot and shoulders with polished and matte gilt decor depicting putti with wreaths and grapes, foliage, and hearts. Blue sceptre mark, brown imperial eagle mark, grey painter's mark as the planetary symbol for Mars. A restoration to the area around the screw connecting the shaft to the vase. H 50.1 cm.
1826 - 32.
The "Munich Form" vase was designed by Friedrich Gärtner in 1822, the year he was appointed artistic director at the Nymphenburg manufactory. It was planned as a birthday present for King Max I of Bavaria, and executed with two bow-shaped handles in the shoulder area and decorated in the style of a Classical relief in the same year. This vase form came to Berlin as a gift from the Munich court for the wedding of Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm to the Bavarian Princess Elisabeth Ludovika in 1823. It was adopted by KPM in 1826 and produced in four different sizes exclusively for the king as a diplomatic or family gift. Dietmar Ponert lists 137 examples made prior to 1850, each with exceptional and unique decor.
Provenance
Private collection, Berlin.
Literature
Cf. Ponert, Berlin Museum Kunstgewerbe I Keramik, Berlin 1985, cat. no. 118 ff.
For more on this model see Hantschmann, Nymphenburger Porzellan 1797 bis 1847, Munich-Berlin 1996, cat. 182.