Viennese Porcelain Design Watercolor, Alt-Wiener Porzellan Fabrik, Ca. 1840–1850

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An original watercolor and gouache design for a porcelain cup and saucer, attributed to the Alt-Wiener Porzellan Fabrik (Old Vienna … Read more An original watercolor and gouache design for a porcelain cup and saucer, attributed to the Alt-Wiener Porzellan Fabrik (Old Vienna Porcelain Factory), Vienna, circa 1840–1850. The composition exemplifies the decorative opulence of Viennese porcelain design during the Biedermeier and early Historicist periods. Executed with luminous washes of cobalt blue, orange, and gilt accents, the design employs a striking lattice of intersecting diamond medallions enclosing floral sprigs rendered in fine polychrome detail. The draftsmanship demonstrates the precision expected of factory model painters whose pattern drawings, or Porzellan-Vorlagen, guided the enamellers who hand-decorated porcelain blanks destined for the aristocratic and export markets. The present sheet preserves the delicate graphite underdrawing and meticulous overpainting typical of Viennese design ateliers of the mid-nineteenth century. Mounted within a contemporary giltwood frame lined with blue moiré silk.

Provenance: Ursus Prints Ltd., 981 Madison Avenue, New York City.
Measurements: 15.75 in w x 13.875 in h (framed). See less