Porcelain figure Rosenthal (figurine) "Dachshund"

Theodor Kärner (10.1.1884 Hohenberg - 6.9.1966, Munich) At the beginning of this article, I would like to note the fortunate circumstances for the sculptor that his family came from an old "porcelain dynasty." Theodor Kärner was born in Bavaria on January 10, 1884, in the small town of Hohenberg der Eger (Hohenberg on the River Eger). His father worked at the Hutschenreuther porcelain factory, founded in 1814 by the artist Karl Magnus Hutschenreuther. The deeply respectful attitude towards the art craft that was instilled in him from childhood greatly influenced Kärner's entire artistic career. As a child, the future sculptor showed a special talent for drawing. Between 1898 and 1903, he studied as a modeler at the Hutschenreuther factory, and in 1906, the entire Kärner family moved to Munich. The most famous representative of the Neo-Baroque style in Munich in the early 20th century was the sculptor Wilhelm von Rümann (1850-1906), who became a professor of sculpture at the Munich Academy in 1887 and was highly esteemed by the reigning Prince Regent of Bavaria. In stylistic opposition to him was "the artistic father" of Munich, Adolf von Hildebrand (1847-1921), who only recognized late classicism as a style. Kärner's Neo-Baroque style was formed during his studies at the Bavarian School of Applied Arts in Munich. He attended the sculpture classes of Professor Heinrich Waderé (1865-1950) and Professor Anton Pruska (1846-1930), who taught decorative sculpture, including animalism and ornamentation. Kärner then studied at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts as a free listener. (table omitted)lign="left"> Wilhelm von Rümann Fragment of the monument to Kaiser Wilhelm, Rümann, 1893 Adolf von Hildebrand Figure of Philoctetes, Hildebrand, 1886 Heinrich von Zügel Theodore Kerners main teacher was the famous German animalist Heinrich von Zügel (Heinrich von Zügel, 1850–1941), who led two classes at the Academy - for painters and sculptors. The fact that Kerner, who had been working as a sculptor for many years, had an incessant desire to continue learning is evidenced by the fact that he later attended evening courses at the academy in 1918-1921. Diligence and talent evoked a great sense of respect from the teachers. And after only 2 semesters of study, he was allowed to have his own workshop. According to his own admission, Kerner spent a total of 14 semesters at the Academy, in 1914-1915 and 1920-1921. But let's go back to 1905. Just having finished his education and being unknown to anyone, Theodore Kerner receives an offer from the director of the Nymphenburg porcelain factory to create a sculpture for the spring fair and, in case of success, a position as a sculptor at the factory.Brick. When the sculpture "forest marten", made in life size, unexpectedly brought success to the factory at the Leipzig Spring Fair, Albert Bäuml, the factory director, fulfilled his promise: on April 15, 1905, the sculptor received a place at the Nymphenburg factory. During his student years, the Bavarian capital became his second home. Until 1930, he lived first with relatives on Ferdinand-Maria Straße No. 211. The workshop was located at that time in Dr. Zölner's villa, in the same area, at Malsenstraße No. 43. Later, the sculptor moved to Schluderstraße, where the apartment and workshop were merged together, and he lived there from the end of the war until his death. He was repeatedly offered a position as a professor at the Munich Academy, but Kerner always declined. On April 20, 1938, 54-year-old Theodor Kerner received the title of professor, most likely for political reasons. In Munich, he had many like-minded and interested friends: Lutz Heck, a renowned zoologist and director of the Munich Zoo, Dr. Adalbert Zöllner, head of one of the Rosenthal branches in Munich, and the artist Franz Xaver Stahl. In this regard, another sculptor should be mentioned, who was a year younger than Kerner, the artist and illustrator Wilhelm Neuhäuser. He was friends with Kerner since their time at the Bavarian School of Applied Arts and later at the Academy. They were also students of Professor Heinrich von Zügel. Like Kerner, Neuhäuser was a permanent.Theodore Karner was an employee of the Nymphenburg porcelain factory. Between 1911 and 1912, he created 16 "animal sculptures." The peacock figure, which is over 40 centimeters long, was created by the sculptor Theodore Karner at the age of 21 and is considered one of the most famous and outstanding figures of the Nymphenburg porcelain factory. The elegant shape of the bird is emphasized by skillful underglaze painting, a technique that was perfected in the early 20th century. In this technique, the paint is applied with a brush or airbrush immediately after the first firing, but before the sculpture is immersed in glaze. After firing, layers of certain colors become transparent and blend together to form subtle color gradients.The richness of colors in the peacock's feathers is a characteristic result of this painting method. In 1917, the Nymphenburg factory planned to release a unique model that was not part of the regular production. It was supposed to be a figure of a large eagle sitting with spread wings on a pedestal decorated with oak leaves, a symbol of military honor and valor. Theodore Karner worked on the order, and it was most likely a special order, as it was quite expensive for a relatively small production and probably did not come from the factory itself. On the other hand, it is somewhat strange to create a sculpture as a "victory sign" during an almost lost war. Since the eagle is a heraldic symbolThe Bavarian symbol seems foreign, so it can be assumed that the eagle was supposed to look "imperial". However, only an unfinished model from 1918, signed and dated, of Kerners design has been preserved. It is stored in the factory archive. Otto Pelka, an excellent porcelain specialist, wrote in his book "Keramik der Neuzeit" (Ceramics of Modernity), published in Leipzig in 1924, that there is no doubt that the special "Nymphenburg style" in the depiction of animals was mainly formed thanks to the work of Theodor Kerner. This style was noticed and appropriately appreciated by his contemporaries. In the period from 1905 to 1918, Theodor Kerner created 88 models for the Nymphenburg factory. Considering that between 1905-1921 a total of 155 sculptural models were produced at Nymphenburg, Kerner's contribution to the development of the factory can be considered the most significant. Before concluding the chapter "Nymphenburg" in Kerner's life, I would like to highlight a number of facts that actually marked the end of this period of his life. As a permanent employee of the manufactory, he received a very modest salary for several years before the First World War.monthly earnings amounting to 120 gold marks. For example, the salary of a young teacher in a public school was 100 marks. Due to the "low wage that humiliates him as an artist," Kerner announced his departure in 1918, to which Albert Boymle, the factory director, condescendingly remarked that Kerner would surely not find another permanent job anywhere as a sculptor-animalist. When Boymle realized that he had gone too far and Kerner's intention to leave the factory was serious, he promised to triple his salary. However, Kerner insisted on an immediate termination of his contract with the factory. Then an unpleasant, but quite understandable, incident occurred - the director, who obviously understood very little about art but was excellent with commercial matters, accused the sculptor of allegedly demanding double payment from a client for one of his models. In this story, all accusations against Kerner were clearly fabricated in order to avoid paying the sculptor his deserved fee. We are talking about his sculpture of a reclining puma (model number 560) completed in 1918. The artist never forgot the insult he received for the rest of his life. Fortunately, significant and favorable changes soon occurred in his career...