One of the best things about working at an auction house is never knowing what we are going to discover next. Earlier this week a wonderful Goldscheider pottery bust was brought in for our forthcoming Fine Art sale to be held on 28th March so I thought I would tell you more about the Goldscheider company.

The Goldscheider Porcelain Manufacturer and Majolica Factory was founded in Vienna in 1885 by Freidrich Goldscheider. It quickly earned itself international acclaim winning many awards and becoming one of the leading ceramics companies in Europe opening branches in Paris, Florence, Leipzig and Berlin. 

Freidrich worked with his sons Walter and Marcell who would later moved to America and England respectively to continue expanding the business after Hilter’s regime forced the family to flee Austria in 1938.

The Goldscheider factories are probably most well known for making beautiful Art Deco figurines that were so popular in the 1920’s and 1930’s. These figurines depicted elegant, slim-lined and fashionable ladies typically displayed in movement, whether it was mid-dance, an acrobatic stance or simply a sweeping gesture, with dramatic curves that allowed their flowing dresses and sleeves to produce eye-catching, decorative features for the pieces.  The large flat areas of the extended dresses, scarves or sleeves were decorated with intricate, colourful designs that contrasted with the light, porcelain-like skin tones of the women.  A high quality of detail and skill in the artwork as well as a characterful and appealing face all add value to these figurines. Always try and buy pieces in good condition damage or poor restoration can dramatically reduce desirability and thus value.

Goldscheider also specialised in large terracotta statues and busts either depicting Art Nouveau style ladies with long flowing hair or Nubian people as is our bust. It is a lovely example and carries a pre sale estimate of £400-600.

Throughout more than fifty years of existence Goldscheider created many masterpieces and became one of the most influential producers of artistic objects made of terracotta, ceramic and bronze. Many famous designers of the day worked at the factory including Demeter Chiparus, Josef Lorenzl, Benno Geiger and Stefan Dakon. I particularly like the work of Lorenzl who worked on a huge range of these stylish and stylised figurines, working not just in ceramics but also in the more desirable and expensive bronze and ivory examples. 

The Goldscheider brand was brought by the German company Carstens who in 1953 founded the subsidiary Kunstkeramische Manufaktur Goldscheider GmbH. They mostly produced red clay terracotta style figurines and wall masks until 1963. These are quite unique in appearance often with bright green or orange curly hair and very distinctive painted features. These are always popular in auction and can fetch a few hundred pounds depending on the rarity of the design.

Goldscheider produced a staggering figure of over 10,000 different models and its worldwide success was attributed to the timeless beauty and quality of their wares which are keenly sought by collectors today. So if you would like to be a Goldscheider collector yourself we are always happy to answer any questions you may have.