Burning With Excitement Over This Art Nouveau Incense Burner!

I'm sensing that you are really going to love this fantastic find just as much as I do.  I couldn't help but sniff out this head turning, early last century incense burner at a recent New England Antiques Show event.  Check out this simply exquisite functional piece of art and see what makes it so interesting and special!

 

Let's answer some burning questions about this lovely item!  What we have here is an art pottery incense burner from around 1906.  It is about 8 inches high and 6 inches wide.  It is primarily green and is decorated with a pond scene in relief.  You can clearly see the pussy willow details on the sides; they are finished in different shades of tan, gold, and green.  The piece is greatly inspired by the popular Art Nouveau movement of the time (around 1890–1910) which emphasized natural forms, flowers and plants, animals, and elegantly curved lines in furniture, artwork, and decorative items. 

Paul Dachsel, a well known artist, designed and created this "green scene." Paul launched his career as the head designer at Amphora Pottery, which was located was then at the time Turn-Teplitz, Austria. He was son-in-law of the company founder, Alfred Stellmacher. Paul loved all things having to do with nature, and while at Amphora, helped to launch the company's products into the international spotlight though his imaginative and intricate designs. He worked at Amphora from around 1892 until 1904 or 1905. 

After leaving the family firm, Dachsel started his own art pottery company, called Kunstkeramik Paul Dachsel. There he really spread his wings and created some of his most sophisticated pieces, many that seem to have a fairy-tale quality to them. Even though he was no longer employed by Amphora Pottery, the style of his items were still described as "Amphora" or from the Amphora School.  Some of his creative inspiration came from fellow European designers Alphonse Mucha (Czech, 1860 –1939) and Rene Lalique (French, 1860 - 1945) Kunstkeramik Paul Dachsel remained in business through around 1910. Throughout his productive years and regardless of employer, Paul Dachsel often used a simple "PD" mark on his artwork, an example of this is pictured on the left.

It is said that items in the true "Amphora School" style could not be manufactured today as they were a century ago, due to their intensive labor, talent, and time requirements.  This c.1905 bat vase by Dachsel, pictured here on the left, really proves this point.  The item is about 9 inches high, 3 inches wide; it is described as..."lovely lilies and juicy berries have attracted a cluster of fruit bats to the neck and rim of this vase. Unlike the blood-sucking bats of fiction, fruit bats eat fruit and suck nectar from flowers, pollinating plants along the way. The bat cluster is the fragile sculptural crown on a piece that required several firings to achieve its subtle color effects. This model is considered one of Dachsel's landmark designs."

I would like to thank Paul Martinez, owner of Paul Martinez Antiques from Westminster, MA for lighting a fire under us concerning this wonderful example of Amphora pottery. Paul Martinez Antiques specializes in European art, pottery, and glass from the early 19th through the mid 20th centuries.  The company is a regular exhibitor at New England Antique Shows events and will be attending the upcoming Antiques and Vintage Holiday Gift Show in Concord, MA, December 10th and 11th. For more information on the Dachsel incense burner, contact Paul directly at (978) 874-0949 or pauls_pots@verizon.net.  

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