Art-deco pitcher, AMPHORA. Czechoslovakia, ca.... Lot 31

Art-deco pitcher, AMPHORA. Czechoslovakia, ca. 1920. Enamelled porcelain. Pitcher from the Czechoslovakian manufacture of Anphora, Reissner Stellmacher and Kessel factory, in porcelain with fire-enamelled decorations reminiscent of Egypt (Pharaoh's heads, scarabs and geometric ornaments). Marks and numbering on the reverse. Provenance: Private Spanish collection, formed between 1970 and 2010. Good condition. Normal wear and tear due to use and the passage of time. Measurements: 37 cm (height) x 17 cm (largest diameter). In 1892, after 17 years as a leading ceramics producer, Alfred Stellmacher encouraged his son and sons-in-law to establish a porcelain factory. Named after its owners Riessner, Stellmacher and Kessel (RSt&K), and employing his son-in-law Paul Dachsel, the firm consistently marked pieces with the word Amphora in the late 1890s and subsequently became known by that name. The Amphora factory was located in Turn-Teplitz, Austria (now in the Czech Republic). Once a spa town that attracted the likes of Goethe and Beethoven, Teplitz had lost its lustre over time due to the increasing intrusion of industrial activity. Turn, which had served Teplitz's spa lovers with diversions that included lush gardens and beautiful villas, was also affected by gradual industrialisation. In the mid-19th century, the area formed a de facto ceramics production centre that was also home to Kunstkeramik Paul Dachsel, Eduard Stellmacher and Ernst Wahliss. Porcelain factories found the region advantageous because the local riverbeds provided an abundant supply of kaolin, an essential ingredient of porcelain. The rivers themselves were sources of energy, and nearby railways facilitated the rapid sale and export of ceramics throughout Europe. When originally incorporated, Amphora imitated the Orientalist and Neo-Baroque styles favoured by Alfred Stellmacher. The combined talents of skilled designers such as Eduard Stellmacher, Paul Dachsel and a host of decorators from the Teplitz Special School of Ceramics enabled the Amphora manufactory to rapidly develop a unique genre of Art Nouveau ceramics. What unified its production was an unparalleled concern for fine design and high quality, as well as Alfred Stellmacher's use of "ivory porcelain", a matt yellowish material that was malleable, but resistant to high temperatures. Amphora's stylistic diversity, combined with its uncompromising standard of quality, made it a world leader among industrial manufacturers of artistic ceramics. An important series of a remarkable decade, from 1894 to 1904, features plants (including applied flowers and fruits), animals, mythical creatures, Klimt and Mucha-style portraits, biomorphic designs and simulated jewellery. The departure of Paul Dachsel in 1903 and Eduard Stellmacher in 1904 marked the end of Amphora's golden age.