R.S.PRUSSIA, REINHOLD SCHLEGELMILCH, ANTIQUE PORCELAIN MUG, C. 1900-15

This Very Delicate Porcelain Mug is from The R.S. Prussia Factories of Germany During The Art Nouveau Era, Circa 1900-1915.  It measures 3 1/2" Diameter and is unmarked; however it is attributed to the Prussia factories of Germany through its mold identification, being that of the “Carnation” mold, as identified in Mary and Frank  Gaston’s book…”Identifying R.S. Prussia” (illustrated Page 90, Plate 236, mold # 515).

It is delicately decorated, transfer printed and partially hand painted, with soft red and pink cabbage roses against a two tone pale green background with lovely carnation mold embossing. The mug is accentuated with an Art Nouveau double looped 24 Kt. gold gilded handle.

COMMENT: Just A Delicious Little Jewel To Add To Ones Prussia Collection! Take Me Home And Display Me Because I Am Precious!

As We All Know, R.S. Prussia Porcelain Is Some Of The Finest Porcelains Ever Produced In The World And Is Coveted By Many An Avid Collector World Wide. Prices continue to soar for choice pieces and some pieces are in the high thousands.

CONDITION: Excellent!

BRIEF HISTORY OF RS. PRUSSIA PORCELAIN

The "RS" in the “RS. Prussia” mark is derived from its founder, Reinhold Schlegelmilch. While his factory enjoyed limited success, it was the work of his two sons, Arnold and Ehrhard that would make the mark bearing his initials famous. While Ehrhard continued to operate the factory in Suhl, Arnold went on to found a second factory in nearby Tillowitz. These two operations produced the majority of their products for export beginning in 1892 up until the beginning of World War I.  During this period, most of the pieces exported to the United States bore the mark described above, with Prussia in red beneath.  In 1910 the Tillowitz factory began using the all-green "RS Germany" mark, and continued producing fine China through the Second World War. The original factory in Suhl closed down before World War I ended.

It's also good to know, according to the International Association of R.S. Prussia Collectors Web Site, that most of the historical information on this type of porcelain published prior to 1994 appears to be inaccurate. Reinhold and Erdmann Schlegelmilch were long thought to be brothers jointly operating one factory, but they actually ran two different factories located in Suhl, Germany and were in direct competition with one another.

Another thing to keep in mind is that not all RS. Prussia porcelain is marked and one does need the aid of books to be able to correctly identify the mold marks. Also, many RS Germany marked pieces are in actuality RS. Prussia.

WHAT ABOUT R.S. PRUSSIA?

Contrary to popular belief, R.S. Prussia porcelains are not hand painted. They are first transfer printed and then touched up by hand in places to accentuate the finer or the more delicate detail of the subject whether it is floral, portrait or scenic. The beauty of R.S. Prussia porcelains is that they have a very art nouveau flavor in terms of their shapes, their embossing and delicate thin porcelain blanks; as well as the depicted subject. Generally speaking, the more refined and thinner blanks are usually made closer to the turn of the century and later versions began to be of thicker, plainer and heavier porcelain, with less emphasis on the femininity of the porcelain as well as decoration. By 1930 most RS Prussia porcelain production ceased.

The craze for R.S. Prussia porcelains and drastic increase in prices was fueled by the thirst for such elegant irregular shapes, elaborate decoration; as well as the fineness of the extra thin and fragile porcelain exonerating the Art Nouveau movement of the whimsical and fantasy. Many objects made during the art nouveau movement had the effect of graciously flowing and meandering into the fantasy to lift people away from their everyday existence into a world of imaginary things, a form of escapism.  Because this porcelain is so thin, many pieces did not survive the ravages of time.  This is why people who understand the art of beautiful porcelain making and artistic merit of fine porcelain decorating such as these crave the elegance and luxury of owning such porcelains. Consequently the demand for and availability dwindling command higher prices as years go by.