A Monumental & quite rare KPM Porcelain Plaque "The Birth of Venus", Circa 1870

Description

A Monumental and Quite Unusual 19th-Century KPM Porcelain Plaque Depicting the Birth of Venus This KPM porcelain plaque depicts The Birth of Venus, with the goddess standing upon an open scallop shell rising from the sea. Venus is surrounded by 15 winged putti, tritons, sea nymphs, and centaurs arranged throughout the composition beneath a luminous sky. A triton on the right raises a conch shell while another figure emerges from the water holding a shell. Putti gather above and below the central figure, including one riding a dolphin and another seated beside Venus upon the shell. The hand-painted decoration is executed in soft tones with smooth color transitions and detailed modeling of the figures, water, and clouds. The plaque is presented within a gilt wood frame with scrolling foliate ornament at the corners and centers, together with a burgundy velvet mat and a gilt slip surrounding the porcelain panel. This plaque was executed superbly by one of KPM's finest painters, and the quality throughout is exceptional. The glazing is remarkably fine, with a depth and luminosity that few plaques of the period achieve, and the modeling of the figures reflects the hand of an artist of the highest caliber within the manufactory. The Birth of Venus is among the most unusual subjects we have ever encountered on a KPM plaque — mythological compositions of this complexity, with such an elaborate cast of figures, were reserved for the workshop's most accomplished painters. At 18 by 11 inches, it is also one of the largest plaques we have ever offered, a scale rarely seen and one that demanded extraordinary technical skill to fire and decorate successfully. The plaque was produced by the Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur, commonly known as KPM Berlin. Established in 1763 under the patronage of Frederick the Great, KPM became renowned for porcelain plaques depicting celebrated European paintings and mythological subjects. The reverse bears impressed KPM marks together with impressed numerals and workshop notations that identify the factory production. KPM porcelain plaques were formed from refined hard paste porcelain, fired to create a smooth painting surface, and decorated with mineral-based enamels before undergoing additional firings. The factory employed painters who specialized in transferring complex compositions to porcelain while preserving subtle gradations of color, precise figure modeling, and finely rendered facial features. Mythological scenes of this scale were among the workshop's most detailed porcelain productions during the nineteenth century. Dimensions: 28" Height 20" Width 3" Depth Plaque: 18" x 11"

Details

Dimensions