High, differently grown tree trunk, with two levels of standing tree marten with open mouth and pointed teeth, facing the viewer. Colorful, polychrome enamel painting. Either Hugo Meisel. Ligated artist monograph "HM"; Manufacture mark. H. 82 cm. The model was created in connection with the famous group of 16 monumental animal sculptures by the modelers Hugo Meisel and Arthur Storch, with which the oldest Volkstedt porcelain manufactory caused a sensation in 1921, when it was involved in the design of the "Porcelain Palace" in Leipzig, which was initially used as a trade fair house under the direction of the architect Hans Poelzig. Due to their extraordinary size, the production posed a special technical challenge. Even today, these are considered as masterpieces of artistic and technical craftsmanship. They have been produced in only a small series of probably no more than 10 versions per model. See catalog Schwarzburger Werkstätten, p. 126 ff.; Fritzsche, Aelteste Volkstedter Porzellanmanufaktur, p. 211f .; Zimmermann, in Deutsche Kunst und Dekoration, Vol. 49, 1921-1922, p. 58; Porzellandland Thüringen, p. 243ff. Provenance: From the estate of a significant North German private collection. A rare monumental Thuringian porcelain figure of a European pine marten modeled by H. Meisel. Manufacturer's mark. Thuringia. Volkstedt-Rudolstadt. Aelteste Volkstedter Porzellanfabrik. 1920s.
