Large Meissen Porcelain Art Nouveau Figurine of 'Girl with Apple Basket'

Description

Meissen Porcelain Art Nouveau Figurine 'Girl with Apple Basket' The porcelain figurine depicts a barefoot young girl standing beside a woven basket filled with apples. She is modeled holding several apples in her left arm while lightly grasping the edge of her apron with her right hand. The figure is dressed in a white blouse and apron over a soft gray bodice and a long blue skirt patterned with small white flowers. Her hair is arranged in a bun, and her head is inclined gently downward. The woven texture of the basket, the naturalistic modeling of the apples, and the softly draped folds of her garments are executed with precise attention to proportion and glaze application, characteristic of Meissen’s Late 19th/early 20th-century production. The underside bears the underglaze blue crossed swords mark of Meissen, the incised model number U 137, and an additional incised 145, which represents a Bossierer's mark used for internal quality control. The model was designed by Theodor Eichler in 1905, a German sculptor who trained at the Meissen porcelain manufactory and later studied under Robert Diez at the Dresden Art Academy. After establishing his own studio, Eichler returned to Meissen in 1903, creating approximately seventy figure models and groups that defined the manufactory’s Art Nouveau style. Founded in 1710, Meissen was the first European porcelain manufacturer and is renowned for its technical mastery and fine modeling. This figure illustrates the factory’s combination of naturalistic form, restrained color palette, and meticulous glaze work that distinguished its Art Nouveau output.

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