208 - Outstanding imperial KPM Berlin potpourri vase featuring a portrait of Wilhelm II and a view of the Neues Palais

Outstanding imperial KPM Berlin potpourri vase featuring a portrait of Wilhelm II and a view of the Neues Palais —the so-called “Reed Vase.” Above a stepped round base with sculpted foliage and a twisted band, a baluster-shaped vase body with a short, tapered neck and a profiled rim, encircled by rich rocaille decoration. A domed, openwork lid, crowned by a large, finely sculpted bouquet of peonies. Tufts of reeds rising from the sides serve as handles. Oval rocaille cartouches in relief on both sides of the wall. Inside, a portrait of Wilhelm II of Prussia in uniform with various Prussian orders, including the German Imperial Crown, and a depiction of the New Palace in Sanssouci Park in Potsdam, built between 1763 and 1769 according to designs by the architects Johann Gottfried Büring and Heinrich Ludwig Manger, which served as the German Emperor’s primary residence during his reign from 1888 to 1918. Below it is the royal crown. Extremely fine polychrome painting with various color backgrounds in shades of green and pastel tones. Restored; scepter and painter’s mark. Height: 66 cm. The model of the potpourri lid vase featuring the emperor’s portrait was commissioned by Wilhelm II as a gift for high-ranking dignitaries and princes for ceremonial purposes and was designed with extremely elaborate decoration, following the Rococo style and form with delicate, harmoniously coordinated pastel tones. See Dietz, Sabet Collection, pp. 23, 132f, (form); Köllmann/Jarchow, Berlin Porcelain, Vol. I, pp. 101, 208, Vol. II, p. 593. Provenance: From the dissolution of a private collection in Berlin. An outstanding porcelain potpourri vase featuring a portrait of German Emperor William II and a view of the “New Palace” in Potsdam. Restored. Scepter and painter’s mark. KPM-Berlin. Early 20th century.