A Monumental Max Esser Meissen Porcelain Blanc de Chine Model of a Stag (Deer)

Description

A Monumental and Very Rare Blanc de Chine Porcelain Model of a Stag (Deer) by Max Esser, Produced by the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory During the Pfeiffer Period, Circa 1926. This sculpture bears the blue crossed swords mark and is catalogued under the model number A 1151. The piece is featured in *The Art of Meissen Figures, Model Numbers A 100 – Z 300* by Bergmann, page 544, confirming its documented place within the factory’s historical output. The underside of the base includes both the incised model number and the Meissen hallmark, further affirming its authenticity and period of manufacture. The sculpture depicts a standing stag rendered entirely in white glazed porcelain, known as blanc de Chine. Stylistically Masonic in form and nature. The animal is modeled with elongated limbs and a slightly turned head, its body emerging from a tiered cluster of stylized geometric foliage. The antlers are crowned with a symmetrical radiating motif resembling an abstracted sunburst, centered by an almond-shaped eye. This starburst structure is repeated across the base in radial formations where the hooves meet the ground, visually binding the animal to its platform. The fur of the chest and legs is subtly textured, while the flanks are smooth, offering contrast to the sharply tiered bands of spiked forms at the animal's sides and beneath the body. The work rests on an integrated shaped plinth, similarly glazed, which further emphasizes its monumental scale—nearly three feet tall as confirmed by scale comparison to a standard soda can in one of the images. Max Esser (1885–1945) was one of the most significant sculptors associated with the Meissen manufactory during the early 20th century. Trained under the animalier sculptor August Gaul, Esser brought a naturalistic yet highly stylized approach to his work in porcelain. He joined Meissen in the early 1900s and remained active through the interwar period, during which time he developed many of the factory’s most ambitious and sculpturally sophisticated animal models. Unlike the Rococo-inspired figural groups for which Meissen was traditionally known, Esser's work often emphasized purity of form and an almost architectural sense of rhythm. His contributions mark a distinctive shift toward modernism within Meissen’s production, blending natural observation with a bold structural vocabulary that made use of negative space and geometry. This particular model, A 1151, is one of Esser’s rarest and most dramatic designs, with its abstracted treatment of the stag's antlers and flanks diverging from strict naturalism and incorporating elements of Art Deco stylization. Its production during the Pfeiffer period, under the leadership of Dr. Karl Berling and Ernst Teichert, reflects a moment in Meissen history when the factory actively pursued sculptural innovation and expanded the boundaries of porcelain design. The use of blanc de Chine glaze—an unpainted, high-fired white porcelain—emphasized the form over surface decoration, placing full focus on the modeling. This technique required great skill during firing to preserve the integrity of fine details such as the radial projections and the delicately modeled antlers. The monumental size of this model, combined with its rarity and technical complexity, makes it one of the most significant large-scale porcelain animals produced at Meissen in the early 20th century. It demonstrates the high level of collaboration between sculptor and manufactory, and its inclusion in the Bergmann catalogue solidifies its importance in the documented oeuvre of Meissen’s interwar period. Few examples of this model are known, and those that survive are considered major works of European porcelain sculpture. Germany, Circa: 1926 Standing at 35 inches tall, this is a substantially large porcelain figure.

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