210 - Magnificent imperial KPM Berlin portrait vase of Emperor Wilhelm I of Prussia

Magnificent imperial KPM Berlin portrait vase of Emperor Wilhelm I of Prussia So-called Renaissance-style handle vase. On an octagonal, stepped base with a raised round foot, an ovoid body with a rounded shoulder, a stepped, indented neck with a compressed node, and a flaring rim. On both sides, relief-carved, gilded handles made of bisque porcelain featuring a winged panther’s head, curving upward from palmette bases. Royal blue background with white enamel droplets. On the front, a recessed, wide, gold-etched image field, crowned by the imperial crown entwined with laurel. Within it, a bust portrait of Wilhelm I of Prussia as Emperor in full dress uniform, based on a photograph using a photoreprographic technique in gray camaieu. He wears, among other things, the Prussian Order of Pour-le-mérite, the ribbon and star of the Order of the Black Eagle, the chain with the jewel and star of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, and the Iron Cross. Fine polychrome painting with rich gilding. Designed by Julius Wilhelm Mantel, 1860. Minimally restored and retouched; scepter and painter’s mark. Height: 53 cm. Such ceremonial vases, featuring a portrait framed by laurel branches and crowned with the imperial crown, were reserved for the Prussian court and were commissioned by Wilhelm I of Prussia as personal gifts for figures “loyal to the emperor.” Ponert, Cat. Berlin Museum, No. 130; cf. Dietz, Sabet Collection, p. 180f. Provenance: From the dissolution of a private collection in Berlin. A large, splendid porcelain vase featuring the imperial portrait of Emperor Wilhelm I of Prussia. Minor scuffs and chips. Scepter and painter’s mark. KPM-Berlin. Circa 1871–1888.