Benjamin Walker
Head of Dept.
Lot 28
Emil Rutter (1874-1957) Large Vase
designed 1909
for Berlin (KPM), porcelain with molded and pierced decoration
height 22 1/4in (56.5cm); diameter 9in (23cm)
designed 1909
for Berlin (KPM), porcelain with molded and pierced decoration
height 22 1/4in (56.5cm); diameter 9in (23cm)
6 – 7 October 2020, 11:00 EDT
New YorkUS$1,500 - US$2,000
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Dan Tolson
International Director
Emil Rutter (1874-1957)
Large Vase
designed 1909
for Berlin (KPM), porcelain with molded and pierced decoration
height 22 1/4in (56.5cm); diameter 9in (23cm)
designed 1909
for Berlin (KPM), porcelain with molded and pierced decoration
height 22 1/4in (56.5cm); diameter 9in (23cm)
Footnotes
Emil Rutte (1874-1957) worked as a sculptor at the KPM factory, where he worked closely together with other artists such as the Jugendstil sculptor Karl Bernewitz and Theo Schmuz-Baudiss, who became director of the KPM factory in 1908. This vase follows a new, more restrained and aesthetically informed approach to design at the Berlin factory. In the late 19th and very early 20th century under director Alexander Kips (1888-1908), the factory fully embraced the new technical advances in porcelain making, and much like Sevres, the experiments with new pastes and glazes informed the conception of extraordinary floral and naturalistically sculpted pieces. These pieces won praise at the International Exhibitions in the last quarter of the 19th century, but by the early 20th century, criticism grew with regards to the repetition of the by now well-known glazes and shapes. One such critic, the renowned contemporary art specialist Richard Borrmann, noted in 1902 that although the factory had made significant advances in their technical abilities, it was lacking in 'kuenstlerische Verwertung' or the assessment of the artistic utilization of the material. (see Guenther Schade, Berliner Porzellan (1986, pp. 206f)) Under Schmuz-Baudiss, the linear empty flat porcelain surfaces of vessels were no longer covered fully in high relief floral elements, but were rather framed by restrained abstracted natural shapes as is reflected in this vase.
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