Pair KPM Berlin Rococo Revival Porcelain Figural Tazza, Reticulated Gilt Bowls

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Pair of KPM Berlin Porcelain Figural Tazza with Reticulated Gilt Baskets, Putti Supports & Hand-Painted Ruin Landscapes, 19th Century

An … Read more Pair of KPM Berlin Porcelain Figural Tazza with Reticulated Gilt Baskets, Putti Supports & Hand-Painted Ruin Landscapes, 19th Century

An elegant and highly decorative pair of figural porcelain tazza or compote bowls produced by the celebrated Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin (KPM) during the 19th century. Each example bears the factory’s characteristic underglaze blue scepter mark, the emblem adopted by the Berlin manufactory after its royal acquisition by Frederick the Great in 1763.

The sculptural composition reflects the exuberant Rococo vocabulary pioneered by the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory, with intertwined putti figures forming the central support for pierced baskets above. Each basket is finely reticulated with scrolling latticework, enriched with delicate gilt highlights, and shaped in an undulating Rococo outline. The interiors are finished with a rich burnished gilt ground framing miniature landscape reserves painted with exceptional delicacy.

At the center of each bowl appears a finely painted capriccio landscape, a genre popular in European decorative arts of the 18th and 19th centuries. One depicts a romantic harbor ruin scene, featuring a partially collapsed tower beside a shoreline with a stranded vessel, barrels, and a solitary traveler observing the view. Such imagery evokes the poetic symbolism of ruins—reflecting on the passage of time and the decline of civilizations.

The companion tazza presents a lakeside architectural landscape, where a classical column monument and tower overlook a tranquil body of water. A small figure stands contemplating the scenery, echoing the intellectual spirit of the Grand Tour tradition, when European travelers sought inspiration in ancient ruins and picturesque landscapes. The imagery recalls the romantic architectural fantasies popularized by engravers such as Giovanni Battista Piranesi.

Below, each basket is supported by two intertwined putti, modeled with naturalistic movement and delicate hand-painted flesh tones. One figure is partially draped with a floral cloth, while the companion remains nude, the pair standing atop a naturalistic mound decorated with applied flowers and foliage rendered in soft pastel enamels.

Such figural tazzas were intended as luxury table ornaments or dessert centerpieces, used to display fruit, bonbons, or flowers on elegant dining tables, while also serving as decorative cabinet pieces in porcelain collections.

Graceful, sculptural, and finely painted, this pair exemplifies the technical refinement and artistic elegance for which KPM Berlin porcelain has long been admired.

Dimensions
Height: 9 in (22.9 cm)
Width: 6.5 in (16.5 cm)
Depth: 6 in (15.2 cm)
Base diameter: 3.75 in (9.5 cm) See less