Figurine ID, please Dresden?

by Susan G
(Boston)

Hello,

I have this figurine from my aunt (born in the 1890's), who escaped from Vienna in the 1930's, eventually emigrated to the US and traveled extensively, collecting perfume & sniff bottles and figurines.

Some of my family were able to send belongings out of Vienna before they escaped so I don't know if this piece was owned by her while still in Vienna.

I'm in my 60's and have had this piece for over 40 years. I'm listing some of her items on Ebay and I cannot identify the mark.

It seems blurred and 'runny' to me. Perhaps the design of it brings the maker to your mind?

It's approximately 2".

Thank you for any identifying help.

Susan

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Reply by Peter (admin)

Hi Susan

This is a tricky one. I don't believe this looks like a product of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It looks later - possibly vintage - mid 1950's or 60's.

I say that because the production values of the earlier period were markedly different. Generally, there was more time and money to dedicate to a higher quality values.

Your figurine boy and girl look like the end product of mass export production from the Far East rather than carefully made and modelled German or Bohemian work of an earlier period.

Labour was cheaper art values were distinctly different and society was not the same as it later became in the 20th century - when traditionally rural workers migrated to the industrial cities in search of work and a better life. So much so did this happen in England & Wales, that the share of the population living in cites rose from 20% in 1800 to 62% in 1890. There were similar migrations in Europe. This gives the potential for factories to have large pools of workers, some of whom would inevitably be highly skilled artistically.

Think of old photos of country estates owned by rich families where their gardening staff were pictures. There was a whole community of workers and their families supported by a single activity of gardening. Similarly with ceramics.

So mass production inevitably grooms a different looking product.

So in my view this item is not an item handed down from 19th century Bohemia.

What do others think?

Here is a closer look of the mark and figures:

Best regards

Peter (admin)