Description

Estate Find Bauer, Rosenthal & Co. KG at Kronach Adolph Wilhelm Oppel Centerpiece Bowl Water Spirit and the Old Faery of the Well We offer a porcelain centerpiece bowl designed by Adolph Wilhelm Oppel, (1840-1922) for Bauer, Rosenthal & Co. KG in Kronach, Bavaria. In 1897, Phillip and Wilhelm Rosenthal entered into a partnership with the ceramic engineer C. M. Bauer and opened a factory in Kronach, Bavaria. By 1903, the partnership ended with Phillip Rosenthal continuing production at the Kronach factory. Adolph Oppel sculpted in porcelain a scene from either Act I or Act V from Gerhart Hauptmann's 1896 play "The Sunken Bell". Act I opened with a non-purposeful water spirit, Rautendelein, in discourse with the faery Nickelmann, the old man of the well dripping of moss and weeds. In the course of the play, Heinrich, a maker of church bells, has lost his latest creation when a mischievous faun pushes his bell into the lake. Heartbroken and distraught, Heinrich has lost his purpose for life until Rautendelein kisses his eyes and makes him well. Invigorated and in love, Heinrich sets out to create a new bell, but not for a church but for his own glory. Heinrich vows to never leave the water spirit until he hears the toll of the sunken bell in the lake. By the end of the play Heinrich has suffered remorse when his wife Magda drowns while ringing the lost bell. Heinrich leaves Rautendelein and dies. By the end of Act V, the water spirit Rautendelein, knowing how to love, returns to the old faery of the well, Nickelmann, who has always loved her. Our centerpiece bowl is rich in detail. The old man wears a crown of waterlily leaves as he reclines against the inner wall of the well, water swirling around his calves. His limbs are elongated and sinewy and his face projects joy. Reeds and water plants can be seen along the inner and outer walls of the well. The water spirit is seen as a youthful maiden nestled on a large seashell aside the well, her arm resting on the edge of the well and her long hair cascading to the floor. She is gazing fondly at the older faery of the well. Our centerpiece bowl is clearly marked on the base with the gold stamp for Bauer, Rosenthal & Co. KG Kronach and dates from 1897 to 1903. The old man measures 7 5/8' in height and the water spirit measures 6" in height. Her shell is 5" in width and the well is 9" in width. The overall length of the centerpiece bowl is 13 1/2". As seen in the photographs, there are three spots of minor loss. The water spirit has lost her little finger and a toe. The old man of the well has a flake to the tip of his crown of leaves above his brow. Otherwise the sculpted bowl is in very good antique condition.