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A Berlin K.P.M porcelain Royal 'Münchner' vase ordered for Friederike Karoline Wilhelmine, Dowager Queen of Bavaria, circa 1833
Estimate
45,000 - 65,000 GBP
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Description
- porcelain
- 78cm., 30 3/4 in. high
of oviform affixed with two handles, superbly painted probably by Gottfried Völcker with a continuous rich band of flowers including roses, passion flower, hibiscus, lilacs, blue poppies and auriculas, reserved on a rich gilded ground of spreading stiff leaves and foliate scrolls, the shoulder fitted with an ormolu collar above a gilded band of scrolls and patarae, the neck and foot with further radiating stiff leaves, supported on a square foot, sceptre mark in underglaze-blue, stencilled orb and K.P.M. in iron-red, incised I I I mark to edge,
Provenance
Commissioned by Friedrich Wilhelm III (1770-1840), King of Prussia (1797-1840), as a gift to Friederike Karoline Wilhelmine of Baden (1776-1841), Queen consort of Bavaria (1806-1825), perhaps on the occasion of her 57th birthday in 1833;
Sold Anon. sale, Christie’s London, 9th July 2001, lot 270;
With Ulrich Gronert, Berlin;
Acquired from the above in the early 2000s by the present owner.
Sold Anon. sale, Christie’s London, 9th July 2001, lot 270;
With Ulrich Gronert, Berlin;
Acquired from the above in the early 2000s by the present owner.
Literature
Winifred Baer and Isle Baer, … auf Allerhöchsten Befehl…, Königsgeschenke aus der Königlichen Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin – KPM -, Berlin, 1983, p. 85, no. 30, for the account book reference.
Related Literature
Dr. Ilse Baer, Table Tops from the Berlin manufactory (KPM) from the first half of the Nineteenth Century, The International Ceramics Fair and Seminar Handbook, 2001, pp. 11-18.
Related Literature
Dr. Ilse Baer, Table Tops from the Berlin manufactory (KPM) from the first half of the Nineteenth Century, The International Ceramics Fair and Seminar Handbook, 2001, pp. 11-18.
Condition
This impressive vase is in exceptional condition and appearance.
To the neck there is a faint kiln abrasion and a very minor area of associated rubbing to the gilded pattern. There are some typical very faint scattered surface scratches to the gilding. The enamels of the painted flowers are in very good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
This spectacular Münchner vase is listed in the ‘Conto Buch Sr. Magestät’ or Royal account book of King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia, on 9th of July 1833, as a gift to Friederike Karoline Wilhelmine, Queen consort of Bavaria and widow of Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria (1756-1825), King of Bavaria (1806-1825):
"Für Ihre Majestät der verwittweten Königin v. Bayern
1 Vase Münchner Sorte No. 3 mit 2 Hkl: mit coul: Blumen guirl: der Hals, unterhalb u Fuß Glanzgold darauf arab: aus Braun u Gold. Der Sockel u Hkl: Glanzgold [781 Taler 12 1/2 Gr.] Bronze Reif u Schraube [18 Taler 17 1/2 Gr.]"
[1 Munich vase number 3 with 2 handles: with coloured flower garland: the neck, below and foot bright gold on it an arabesque made of brown and gold. The base and handle: bright gold (781 Taler 12 1/2 Gr.) Bronze collar and screw (18 Taler 17 1/2 Gr.)]
(SPSG, SKP-Archiv (Land Berlin), Pret II, Conto-Buch Sr. Maj. des Königs, S. 198)
As the Dowager Queen’s birthday was on the 13th July we can assume that this vase was probably intended as a birthday gift.
The so-called ‘Münchner vase’ form originated in Bavaria at the Nymphenburg porcelain factory where it was first produced in 1822 to the design of architect Friedrich von Gärtner (1791-1847). The Bavarian Court sent an example as a wedding gift, decorated with cameo portraits of their daughter Princess Elizabeth Ludovika (1801-1873) and Friedrich Wilhelm, (then crown Prince of Prussia) who married on the 29th November 1823.1 This wedding gift vase served as the model for the Berlin porcelain factory where it was produced from 1829 in four sizes, the size of the present vase is the second largest. The model became the standard for diplomatic gifts from the House of Prussia and a total of 137 vases of this form are recorded in the King’s account book produced between 1829 and 1850. The King of Prussia began a journal in 1811 to record royal gifts given to members of his family (and their values) as well as to foreign heads of state and dignitaries.
The fine flower painting can be attributed to the Gottfried Wilhelm Völcker (1772-1849). Völcker was a member of the academy and earned a reputation as an influential oil painter of flower and fruit still lives. He was the teacher of Ernst Wilhelm Sager (1788-1837), one of the most outstanding flower painters at the K.P.M factory from 1825 onward. The gilded decoration was almost certainly designed by Johann Heinrich Strack (1805-80), as a water colour survives for near identical decoration signed by him and dated 1832.2 Strack was an architect and designer who worked at the factory from 1832-27.
Born in 1776 Friederike Karoline Wilhelmine along with her twin sister Amalie were the eldest of the eight children of Charles Louis, Hereditary Prince of Baden (1755-1801) and Princess Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt (1754-1832). On 9th March 1797 in Karlsruhe Karoline married Maximilian I (then the Duke of Palatinate-Zweibrücken Karlsruhe), who later inherited the Electorate of Bavaria. She was his second wife. The couple had five children who survived into adulthood, all daughters, the eldest four of whom, like herself, were identical twins. They married into the Royal and Princely houses of Hohenzollern, Wettin, Habsburg, and Wittelsbach. The eldest twins were Princess Amalie Auguste (1801-1877) who eventually became Queen of Saxony in 1854, and Princess Elizabeth Ludovika, mentioned above, who married the future King Freidrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia.
Maximilian I and Karoline were the first to rule over Bavaria as King and Queen consort. The early 19th century saw the fourth Peace of Pressburg, or the Treaty of Pressburg which was signed on 26th December 1805 between Napoleon and the Holy Roman Emperor Francis II as a consequence of the French victories at Ulm. As a result the Emperor recognised the kingly titles assumed by the Electors of Württemberg and of Bavaria, and on 1st January Maximilian declared himself the first King, and the Electorate became the Kingdom of Bavaria. The new King was one of the most important of the Princes belonging to the newly formed Confederation of the Rhine, and remained a key ally of Napoleon. On 1st August 1806, the members of the confederation formally seceded from the Holy Roman Empire, and following an ultimatum by Napoleon Francis II declared the Holy Roman Empire dissolved.
Two years before this vase was painted, in 1831 the Dowager Queen received as a gift from King Friedrich Wilhelm a Vase Münchner of form no. 2, as described in the Conto Buch Sr. Magestät entry for 27th May “1 Vase Münchner No.2 mit 2 bronze Henkel mit coul: Prospekts vom Museum und Shauspielhaus...“3 As well as this she also received a porcelain mounted guéridon painted by Sager reserving a central medallion of a mosaic within a similar flower wreath to that seen on the present vase. The table presented to “die verwitwete Königin von Bayern“ cost 400 taler and is now preserved in the collection of the Thurn und Taxis Museum, Regensburg (see Fig. 1).4 At the same time one of her younger daughters Maria Anna (1805-1877) (who like her sister Amalie Auguste would also be a Queen of Saxony, becoming Queen in 1833) received a similar guéridon (see Fig. 2).5
It is difficult to be certain which palace the present vase was originally sent to as such records have not survived but the likeliest is Schloss Biederstein. Maximilian gave the Schloss to Karoline as a Summer residence and was contiuned to be used by her as a dowager house after her husbands death. In 1828 she commisioned Leo von Klenze to build the Neo-classical Neues Schloss in the grounds of the Biederstein. Before being demolished in 1934 the contents of the Neues Schloss was was sold by Hugo Helbing, 25th-26th September 1930, which featured 38 lots of European porcelain. Though the 1831 Münchner No.2 form vase is among the list of porcelain the present vase was not included in the sale.6
Footnotes
1 Published by Dr. Katharina Hantschmann, Nymphenburger Porzellan 1797 bis 1847, Munich/Berlin, 1996, pp. 325-26, kat. 184.
2 The design is housed in the archives of Schloss Charlottenburg, reproduced by Baer, Baer, op. cit., Berlin, 1983, pp. 28, 30, Kat. 3.
3 Published by Baer and Baer, op. cit., p. 18, abb. 4; the account reference in full, p. 81, no. 10, “Für Ihre Majestät der verwittweten Königin v. Bayern/ 1 Vase Münchner No.2 mit 2 bronze Henkel mit coul: Prospekts vom Museum und Shauspielhaus in erhaben Gold Shilder, an den Seiten coul: volle Blumen in Gold vermicelli fond, nebst reicher Vergoldung u. Gravirung... 304 Rthlr./ bronze Schrauber 1 Rthlr/ 2 bronze Henkel u. Reifen 53 Rthlr/ 1 Posament rund extra groß, mit sepia Panorama von Glienicke rund herum nebst Vergoldung 122 Rthlr.“ The vase cost a total of 480 Taler.
4 Published by Baer, op. cit., p. 15, fig. 6.
5 The guéridon was sold as part of the estate of Micheline Muselli Lerner, Sotheby’s New York, 1st February 2013, lot 2. Marie Anna reigned as Queen Consort of Saxony from 1836-1854. When her husband, Friedrich Augustus II died, her older sister Amelie Auguste, who was married to John of Saxony, became Queen Consort. The guéridon in total cost 425 Talers. The entry is listed in the Royal account book as follows: "Eintrag vom 7.Mai 1831 Für Ihre Königl. Hoheit die Prinzessin Marie von Bayern/ 1 große runde Tischplatte, in der Mitte mit coul: Muscheln und Schmetterlinge in Gold med: umgeben von coul: Früchten und Blumen (295 Taler)/ 1 schwarzgebeiztes Tischgestell mit bronze Verzierungen (130 Taler)/ Pro 2 Kisten und Verpackung in Linnen nebst Verpackung für die Frau Oberhof Meisterin Ihrer Majestät der Königin von Bayern.” ( Pret II, Conto-buch Sr. Maj. des Königs 1818-1850, p. 178, ID 182).
6 The sale included lot 26, a Hohe Prunkvase mit rundsockel, painted with topographical views of ‘Die Oper’ and ‘das alte Museum in Berlin’.
"Für Ihre Majestät der verwittweten Königin v. Bayern
1 Vase Münchner Sorte No. 3 mit 2 Hkl: mit coul: Blumen guirl: der Hals, unterhalb u Fuß Glanzgold darauf arab: aus Braun u Gold. Der Sockel u Hkl: Glanzgold [781 Taler 12 1/2 Gr.] Bronze Reif u Schraube [18 Taler 17 1/2 Gr.]"
[1 Munich vase number 3 with 2 handles: with coloured flower garland: the neck, below and foot bright gold on it an arabesque made of brown and gold. The base and handle: bright gold (781 Taler 12 1/2 Gr.) Bronze collar and screw (18 Taler 17 1/2 Gr.)]
(SPSG, SKP-Archiv (Land Berlin), Pret II, Conto-Buch Sr. Maj. des Königs, S. 198)
As the Dowager Queen’s birthday was on the 13th July we can assume that this vase was probably intended as a birthday gift.
The so-called ‘Münchner vase’ form originated in Bavaria at the Nymphenburg porcelain factory where it was first produced in 1822 to the design of architect Friedrich von Gärtner (1791-1847). The Bavarian Court sent an example as a wedding gift, decorated with cameo portraits of their daughter Princess Elizabeth Ludovika (1801-1873) and Friedrich Wilhelm, (then crown Prince of Prussia) who married on the 29th November 1823.1 This wedding gift vase served as the model for the Berlin porcelain factory where it was produced from 1829 in four sizes, the size of the present vase is the second largest. The model became the standard for diplomatic gifts from the House of Prussia and a total of 137 vases of this form are recorded in the King’s account book produced between 1829 and 1850. The King of Prussia began a journal in 1811 to record royal gifts given to members of his family (and their values) as well as to foreign heads of state and dignitaries.
The fine flower painting can be attributed to the Gottfried Wilhelm Völcker (1772-1849). Völcker was a member of the academy and earned a reputation as an influential oil painter of flower and fruit still lives. He was the teacher of Ernst Wilhelm Sager (1788-1837), one of the most outstanding flower painters at the K.P.M factory from 1825 onward. The gilded decoration was almost certainly designed by Johann Heinrich Strack (1805-80), as a water colour survives for near identical decoration signed by him and dated 1832.2 Strack was an architect and designer who worked at the factory from 1832-27.
Born in 1776 Friederike Karoline Wilhelmine along with her twin sister Amalie were the eldest of the eight children of Charles Louis, Hereditary Prince of Baden (1755-1801) and Princess Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt (1754-1832). On 9th March 1797 in Karlsruhe Karoline married Maximilian I (then the Duke of Palatinate-Zweibrücken Karlsruhe), who later inherited the Electorate of Bavaria. She was his second wife. The couple had five children who survived into adulthood, all daughters, the eldest four of whom, like herself, were identical twins. They married into the Royal and Princely houses of Hohenzollern, Wettin, Habsburg, and Wittelsbach. The eldest twins were Princess Amalie Auguste (1801-1877) who eventually became Queen of Saxony in 1854, and Princess Elizabeth Ludovika, mentioned above, who married the future King Freidrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia.
Maximilian I and Karoline were the first to rule over Bavaria as King and Queen consort. The early 19th century saw the fourth Peace of Pressburg, or the Treaty of Pressburg which was signed on 26th December 1805 between Napoleon and the Holy Roman Emperor Francis II as a consequence of the French victories at Ulm. As a result the Emperor recognised the kingly titles assumed by the Electors of Württemberg and of Bavaria, and on 1st January Maximilian declared himself the first King, and the Electorate became the Kingdom of Bavaria. The new King was one of the most important of the Princes belonging to the newly formed Confederation of the Rhine, and remained a key ally of Napoleon. On 1st August 1806, the members of the confederation formally seceded from the Holy Roman Empire, and following an ultimatum by Napoleon Francis II declared the Holy Roman Empire dissolved.
Two years before this vase was painted, in 1831 the Dowager Queen received as a gift from King Friedrich Wilhelm a Vase Münchner of form no. 2, as described in the Conto Buch Sr. Magestät entry for 27th May “1 Vase Münchner No.2 mit 2 bronze Henkel mit coul: Prospekts vom Museum und Shauspielhaus...“3 As well as this she also received a porcelain mounted guéridon painted by Sager reserving a central medallion of a mosaic within a similar flower wreath to that seen on the present vase. The table presented to “die verwitwete Königin von Bayern“ cost 400 taler and is now preserved in the collection of the Thurn und Taxis Museum, Regensburg (see Fig. 1).4 At the same time one of her younger daughters Maria Anna (1805-1877) (who like her sister Amalie Auguste would also be a Queen of Saxony, becoming Queen in 1833) received a similar guéridon (see Fig. 2).5
It is difficult to be certain which palace the present vase was originally sent to as such records have not survived but the likeliest is Schloss Biederstein. Maximilian gave the Schloss to Karoline as a Summer residence and was contiuned to be used by her as a dowager house after her husbands death. In 1828 she commisioned Leo von Klenze to build the Neo-classical Neues Schloss in the grounds of the Biederstein. Before being demolished in 1934 the contents of the Neues Schloss was was sold by Hugo Helbing, 25th-26th September 1930, which featured 38 lots of European porcelain. Though the 1831 Münchner No.2 form vase is among the list of porcelain the present vase was not included in the sale.6
Footnotes
1 Published by Dr. Katharina Hantschmann, Nymphenburger Porzellan 1797 bis 1847, Munich/Berlin, 1996, pp. 325-26, kat. 184.
2 The design is housed in the archives of Schloss Charlottenburg, reproduced by Baer, Baer, op. cit., Berlin, 1983, pp. 28, 30, Kat. 3.
3 Published by Baer and Baer, op. cit., p. 18, abb. 4; the account reference in full, p. 81, no. 10, “Für Ihre Majestät der verwittweten Königin v. Bayern/ 1 Vase Münchner No.2 mit 2 bronze Henkel mit coul: Prospekts vom Museum und Shauspielhaus in erhaben Gold Shilder, an den Seiten coul: volle Blumen in Gold vermicelli fond, nebst reicher Vergoldung u. Gravirung... 304 Rthlr./ bronze Schrauber 1 Rthlr/ 2 bronze Henkel u. Reifen 53 Rthlr/ 1 Posament rund extra groß, mit sepia Panorama von Glienicke rund herum nebst Vergoldung 122 Rthlr.“ The vase cost a total of 480 Taler.
4 Published by Baer, op. cit., p. 15, fig. 6.
5 The guéridon was sold as part of the estate of Micheline Muselli Lerner, Sotheby’s New York, 1st February 2013, lot 2. Marie Anna reigned as Queen Consort of Saxony from 1836-1854. When her husband, Friedrich Augustus II died, her older sister Amelie Auguste, who was married to John of Saxony, became Queen Consort. The guéridon in total cost 425 Talers. The entry is listed in the Royal account book as follows: "Eintrag vom 7.Mai 1831 Für Ihre Königl. Hoheit die Prinzessin Marie von Bayern/ 1 große runde Tischplatte, in der Mitte mit coul: Muscheln und Schmetterlinge in Gold med: umgeben von coul: Früchten und Blumen (295 Taler)/ 1 schwarzgebeiztes Tischgestell mit bronze Verzierungen (130 Taler)/ Pro 2 Kisten und Verpackung in Linnen nebst Verpackung für die Frau Oberhof Meisterin Ihrer Majestät der Königin von Bayern.” ( Pret II, Conto-buch Sr. Maj. des Königs 1818-1850, p. 178, ID 182).
6 The sale included lot 26, a Hohe Prunkvase mit rundsockel, painted with topographical views of ‘Die Oper’ and ‘das alte Museum in Berlin’.