PORTE MONTRE Hanau, circa 1749–56, attributed to.

PORTE MONTRE

Hanau, circa 1749–56, attributed to.
Faience decorated in overglaze enamels. Rococo form with rocaille reliefs, painted in polychrome enamels and with floral decoration. Unmarked.
H 24.2 cm.
Restored.

Provenance:
- Stuker Auction, Berne, November 25, 1993, Lot 5237.
- Peter Ducret Collection, Kilchberg, acquired at the above auction.

Literature:
Jacobien Ressing-Wolfert, "Christian Gottlieb Kuntze in de Arnhems Fabrique", in: Vormen uit Vuur, 2007. p. 47, No. 6.

The question of stylistic attribution leads to Christian Gottlieb Kuntze (1736–1810), who began his career at the Höchst faience manufactory around 1746, at the same time as the experienced painters C. W. Löwenfinck and J. P. Dannhöfer.
In 1749, at the young age of 13, he is said to have moved to Hanau to paint in overglaze enamels (Zeh 1913, p. 174), although according to later literature, overglaze enamels may not have been introduced at Hanau until 1753 by J. P. Dannhöfer (Hüseler II, p. 264). In 1756, Clemens August, Prince-Bishop of Cologne, summoned him to the Poppelsdorf manufactory in Bonn. In 1760, he moved to Holland (Hüsgen 1790, pp. 336–338), working among other places at the Arnhem faience factory (1759–1770), where comparable floral decoration occurs (Ressing-Wolfert 2007). A similar model is in the Musée National de Céramique, Sèvres. For a comprehensive monograph, see Bauer, "Taschenuhrständer. Eine Süddeutsche Privatsammlung", 2024.

Hanau – The Oldest German Faience Manufactory (1661–1806)
Despite the increasing influx of Dutch refugees of the Reformed faith into Frankfurt during the 16th century and the council’s decision to admit no further foreigners, Daniel Behaghel and his brother-in-law Jacobus van der Walle from Holland applied in Frankfurt and Hanau in 1661 for the privilege to establish a "Porcelain-Backerey". Count Friedrich Casimir of Hanau was the first to respond, resulting in the establishment at Hanau of the first German faience manufactory. Johannes Bally, likewise from the Netherlands, was entrusted with its management.
Typical products of the early period include ceramics with blue decoration closely modelled on Dutch Delftware and inspired by Asian prototypes.
The factory subsequently changed ownership several times until, in 1727, Heinrich Simons von Alphen acquired all the shares and became its sole owner. From 1740, the manufactory enjoyed a second period of prosperity under the direction of his son Hieronymus. Only after the latter’s death in 1775 did both production and the quality of the faience decline sharply. The manufactory closed in 1806.