A milk glass potpourri

A milk glass potpourri

White glass with polychrome painted decor, ormolu mountings, softwood. Tapering vase with a pierced domed lid. Decorated on one side with putti flying over clouds and playing with flowers. The upper rim with floral garlands, the lid with scattered flowers. The base, foot, shaft, inner ring of the lid and berry finial of bronze. Two restored chips to the rim of the lid. A reattached breakage to the upper back edge of the vase. H 34.5 cm.
Berlin, attributed to Werner & Mieth, around 1800.

Two potpourri vases of this type belonged to the original 1810 furnishings of Queen Luise's bedroom in Charlottenburg Palace. Parts of the furniture were exhibited in Monbijou Palace up until 1918.

Literature

For the "flying children" decor, see e.g. Lenz, Berliner Porzellan. Die Manufaktur Friedrichs des Grossen 1763 - 1786, vol. 1, Berlin 1913, figs. 14 and 224. The decoration had been part of KPM's repertoire since the first documented order from King Frederick II on 18 December 1768.

See also Pazaurek/von Philippovich, Gläser der Empire- und Biedermeierzeit, Brunswick 1976, p. 242 ff.

See also Rückert, Die Glassammlung des Bayerischen Nationalmuseums München, vol. I, Munich 1982, p. 153.