Dresden, Helena Wolfsohn, Hand-painted Dish, C. 1870

This beautiful porcelain candy or trinket dish was produced in Germany under Helena Wolfsohn’s Dresden workshop in the 1870s. A superbly painted and gilded hexagonal small dish in the Dresden style, with a deep border, cobalt blue and hand gilded with a scrolling decoration design.

It has a hand-painted central cartouche depicting a hunter returning home in the evening from hunting; in one hand, he proudly holds a captured hare, while in the other hand, he leads his horse by the reins. The dish has a cobalt blue background inside and white outside; the frame of the cartouche, as well as the upper rim, are decorated in gold. The hand-painted items by Helena Wolfsohn are extremely detailed and well-designed. The shape and pattern of such a dish were popular at the time and were made by other factories, such as Royal Vienna Porcelain and others. Helena Wolfsohn’s factory did not exist for a long time (1879-1883), so items from this manufactory are rare.

Helena Wolfsohn was the successor of her father, who ran a porcelain business under the name L. Meyer & Söhne. She operated in Dresden from 1843, buying white porcelain mostly from Meissen and decorating it by imitating the style of the oldest Meissen pieces by Johann Gregorius Höroldt. She also used Watteau paintings as her inspiration. In 1878, the business was taken over by Helena's daughter, Emilie Elb. The firm won various prizes at international exhibitions, including 3rd prize in Melbourne in 1880. However, the next year problems started. The Meissen factory sued them for using the AR (Augustus Rex) mark. In 1881, the studio was forced to stop using the mark in Germany and in 1883 in England. The compensation for using the mark illegally was so high that the studio almost lost financial liquidity.

At the Helena Wolfsohn factory, the porcelain itself was not produced; all blanks were supplied directly from different manufactories. The blanks were painted, glazed, and fired. Helena Wolfsohn specialized in Rococo porcelain painting. For a time, the factory used the initials AR in its branding, similar to one of the early Meissen brandings, but in 1883, as a result of legal proceedings, the use of these letters was prohibited. The Helena Wolfsohn manufactory was one of the best followers and preservers of the tradition of Meissen porcelain. It is often very difficult to distinguish between Meissen porcelain and porcelain from this factory, so high is the class of the works.

Dimensions:

Length: 15.4 cm

Width: 9.1 cm

Height: 3 cm

Condition: Small brown dot on the side, apparently a firing defect. Otherwise, excellent antique condition.

Please study the accompanying photographs carefully as they form an integral part of this description. The item will be shipped with full tracking and insurance. It is important to note that shipping costs include labor, packaging, and postage.