20th Century Art Deco Ceramic Nude Woman Sculpture by Josef Lorenzl for Goldscheider, Austria

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Description

MEASUREMENTS:
Height: 23.5 cm; Width: 23 cm; Depth: 11.5 cm; Weight: 0.757 kg

Item :
A fine ceramic casting sculpture … Read more MEASUREMENTS:
Height: 23.5 cm; Width: 23 cm; Depth: 11.5 cm; Weight: 0.757 kg

Item :
A fine ceramic casting sculpture (a composition of ceramic enriched with kaolin, known in the art world as soft porcelain), entirely hand-decorated, depicting a sinuous female nude, captured in the graceful and poetic gesture of picking a flower from a grassy meadow tinged with shades of green. The work, created by the prominent sculptor and ceramist Josef Lorenzl, is titled "The Flower Picker." Conceived in 1936-1937, it perfectly represents Lorenzl's late Art Deco style. The female figure is characterized by fluid, elongated lines, with a graceful, sinuous posture typical of his models inspired by dance or mythology. Visible beneath the base are: the Austrian Goldscheider manufacturing mark, the serial number identifying the model (8685), the casting codes (78 31), the words “Made in Germany,” and, on the opposite side, the black calligraphic monogram associated with the ceramic artist responsible for the pictorial decoration. The “Goldscheider Wien” mark surmounted by the black words “Made in Germany” places the production of this specific piece between the late 1930s and early 1940s (the mature Art Deco period). The work is distinguished by the extraordinary chromatic and material contrast of its surfaces: the female figure’s complexion features a delicate satin finish that lends softness to the volumes, contrasting with the glossy, vitrified coating applied to the hair, the grass at the base, and the flower. This skillful interplay of reflections gives the whole an exceptionally realistic effect and an intrinsic formal elegance. This piece boasts slender proportions and generous sculptural volumes, as well as a superb antique patina evenly distributed across the ceramic body, attesting to its absolute temporal integrity.

Useful information for appraising this object:
The positioning on the international antiques market of this specific model, created by the collaboration between Josef Lorenzl and the Goldscheider manufactory (referenced in the catalogue raisonné of Goldscheider's historic Viennese majolica pieces), has attracted strong and consistent interest from collectors of art ceramics from the first half of the 20th century. Based on the most recent documented sales and transactions at leading auction houses and platforms, this sculpture has been estimated from a minimum of €800 to €1,500 depending on its condition, plus a 25-30% buyer's premium. The fact that our sculpture features a double finish—matte on the flesh and glossy on the hair and lawn—certainly increases its value and collectible appeal.

About the Artist
Josef Lorenzl (1892–1950) was one of the most celebrated and influential Austrian sculptors and ceramists of the Art Deco period. Active in Vienna, Lorenzl is internationally recognized for his unmistakable style, characterized by slender, elegant, and sinuous female figures that perfectly capture the aesthetics and dynamism of the 1920s and 1930s. His exceptional artistic significance, collectible value, and the highest historical accolades stem primarily from the prestigious role he held as chief modeler and designer for the Goldscheider manufactory, the Viennese company that was a world leader in elite artistic ceramics of the time, also collaborating actively with Keramos. Furthermore, the models he designed epitomized the excellence of Austrian design, decisively contributing to the Grand Prix and gold medals won by Viennese manufactories at international decorative art exhibitions of the period. His works blend classical grace and geometric modernity, making him an absolute benchmark for twentieth-century sculptural design. Beyond ceramics, Lorenzl is celebrated in world art history textbooks alongside masters such as Chiparus and Preiss for having perfected the most complex and luxurious techniques of the period. Today, his works are not simply vintage objects, but historic pieces exhibited in the world's most important decorative arts museums and consistently sought-after and fetched high prices at major international auctions.

About the Manufactory
Founded in Vienna in 1885, the Friedrich Goldscheider Manufactory was one of the most influential and avant-garde majolica, terracotta, and porcelain factories in Europe, renowned for defining the aesthetic canons of Jugendstil and international Art Deco. The coexistence of the “Goldscheider Wien” stamp and the black overprint “Made in Germany” under the base allows us to limit the historical dating of the piece to a very precise period, between 1938 and the early 1940s. In fact, after the Annexation (Anschluss) of Austria to Germany in 1938, goods produced in Vienna were required by law to bear the wording of the German Reich (“Made in Germany”), even though the manufacturer proudly maintained the name of its place of origin (Wien). In this historical phase, immediately following the annexation of Austria (Anschluss), the prestigious craftsmen and master craftsmen of the factory continued to create iconic models of the highest plastic quality, entrusting the modeling of the figures to the greatest sculptors of the time, such as Josef Lorenzl, Stephan Dakon, Ida Meisinger and many others, perpetuating that unsurpassed combination of modern design and craftsmanship that still makes the Goldscheider brand famous in museums around the world today. This piece has an attribution mark,
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