Meissen Large Tankard and Silver Cover, Circa 1726 – 28

An Extremely Important Meissen Lidded Tankard, of large cylindrical form, decorated in a very bold palette by Johann Ehrenfried Stadler with large Chinese figures at various activities one chinaman wearing an iron red gown, kneeling and holding a fan he points to another Chinese gentleman who wears a green and gold hat and holds a large circular parasol, to his right a further smaller Chinese gentleman darts about with a fan and a kite, they all stand before multicoloured garden border fences and are framed on each side with large sprays of orange, yellow and purple indianishe blumen flowers, below a gold and iron red diaper border with purple, blue and orange alternating mons, the base with a similar meandering floral pattern, the loop handle with running central ridge, the lower terminal to the handle moulded with a stylised acanthus leaf, the contemporary silver cover incised with a monogram and the initials ‘H A S D’ within a flat chased Laub und Bandelwerk border and with monogrammed thumbpiece which is surmounted by a crown, probably by Jorgen Jorgensen Egelsdorf d.E (Bergen).

Marks: 1. Silver Cover marked with makers mark only. 2. The tankard marked in underglaze blue with crossed swords mark to the underside of the base.

The silver maker Jorgen Jorgensen Egelsdorf worked from 1704 to his death in 1737. For a discussion of the painter J.E.Stadler and his two signed works see R.Seyffarth’s article ‘Johann Ehrenfried Stadler, der Meister der Facherchinsen’. Keramos 10/60, ps. 151-159. A Lantern and a tureen, cover and stand in the Dresden Porcelain Collection. Stadler was invited to come and work at Meissen by J.G.Hoeroldt from Eggebrecht’s workshop, his work stood out from that of his contemporary enamellers with his own unique style of large Chinese figures, their drapery made up from strong vertical lines. The figures pose in rather angular positions but their strength is extraordinary. The use of the green enamel here within the design vaults the detail out at the viewer, as does the carefully chosen use of the unusual tone of over glaze light blue enamel in the borders. Like his contemporaries he was also somewhat persecuted by the distrustful J.G.Hoeroldt.

Our thanks to Mr. Claus Boltz for his help and expertise in the dating of this object.

Item No. 824