FABULOUS ANTIQUE ROYAL VIENNA STYLE PORCELAIN PORTRAIT MINIATURE TEAPOT

A gorgeous, fine quality, Royal Vienna portrait miniature porcelain teapot and lid.  All the decoration on this is 100% hand painted.  The portrait (Apfelblüte) is well painted by a very skilled artist.  There are also very elaborate and detailed hand painted gold scrollwork, florals, and trim.  There are also tiny gold “jewels” and “beads” incorporated into the design.  If you look closely at the spout on the teapot you can see that this is done in a dragon, serpent, or animal head motif.  This piece has been in my personal collection since 2015.  It is really in wonderful condition for 100+ year old piece of hand-painted porcelain.  The piece shown in my photos is the actual piece you will receive.  Please be sure to read the “Age and Condition” and “Approximate Dimensions” paragraphs below.

The portrait is artist signed “Wagner” at the bottom right of the portrait panel.  It is also marked on the underside with a blue overglaze hand-painted “beehive” and the hand-painted word “Germany,” along with a hand-painted number “39141,” which is probably a decoration number.  There is also the hand painted word “Apfelblüte,” which translates from German to English as “Apple blossom,” and is the subject of the portrait.  This portrait is painted after an original oil painting with the same title that was done by German artist Conrad Keisel (1846-1921) circa 1882.

Since the original Royal Vienna factory closed in 1864 dozens of firms produced their own versions of the decorating style originally produced by this factory in what the following book describes as the “post-1864 private enterprise” period.  My source for this information is the book Godden’s Guide To European Porcelain by Geoffrey Godden from Chapter 5 entitled “Vienna and Vienna-styled Porcelains”.

I want to be clear that this piece is not an original Royal Vienna factory piece but is decorated in a style that is similar to the original Royal Vienna factory as described in the previous paragraph.

Many people put great emphasis on the “artist’s signature” or the “mark” on the obverse of a piece of porcelain such as this.  However, as experienced collectors of Royal Vienna style porcelain we have come to realize over the years that the marks on the bottom of a piece (such as the “beehive” mark) and the artist signature (like “Wagner”) do not define the piece.  Instead, the style and quality of the decoration and the artistry of the portrait are what really matters.  As reinforcement for our beliefs, according to the beautiful book Hand Painted Porcelain Plates: Nineteenth Century to the Present by Richard Rendall and Elise Abrams “there were no less than sixteen Wagner’s actively painting china in Germany, Austria and Bohemia in the latter part of the nineteenth century” and “Attributions are impossible”.   

Regardless, a strikingly beautiful miniature teapot in excellent original condition!

I do my best to describe all items as accurately as possible and to the best of my ability.  Some of my photos may be somewhat lighter or darker than actual to better show detail or color.  However, do not hesitate to contact me with any questions, comments, or with requests for additional pictures.  I will get back to you as soon as I am able.  I want your transaction with me to be exactly the way I want mine to be when I am the buyer.

Please take a moment and visit our eBay store “TNK Antiques”.  You can access our store through a link in any of our eBay listings.  Our store has many unique and interesting items in several different categories from 45 years of our dealing and collecting antiques and collectables.

Age and Condition

Circa 1900.

It is all in excellent to near mint original condition.  Please look closely at the photos as they are an important part of my description of this item.  There are no chips, flea bites, cracks, hairlines or repairs to the porcelain on the teapot that I can see.  The gold is in very near mint condition with no obvious signs of use or wear and I believe all but a very few of the gold “beads” (smaller gold dots) are intact and all of the “jewels” (larger gold dots) are intact – see my photos.  The lid has two small “tabs” on the underside for securing the lid to the teapot and there are small minor flakes to each tab.  There is also a firing mark (looks like a crack, but isn’t) to the underside of the lid, this is not any form of damage, just the way it originally came from the factory.  This cannot be seen when the lid is in place and does not affect the integrity of the lid at all; it did not show up under the blacklight, so that proves it is original to the lid and from the making (you can see this if you look closely at my photo of the underside of the lid).  I examined both the teapot and the lid carefully under a black-light and found no evidence of any damage or repairs.  Someone took really good care of this piece over the years; it looks to me like it was barely ever used.  This piece is in really in great condition for a 125-year-old piece of hand-painted and decorated porcelain.  Please keep in mind the photos may be blown up at least 8-10 times normal, so anything you see will look 8-10 times larger in the photos than it really is.

Approximate Dimensions

The tea pot is about 4” (10.2 cm) from the tip of the spout across to the top of the handle, about 1.8125” (4.6 cm) in diameter at the foot, and sits about 5.375” (13.7 cm) off the table at the top at the top of the lid finial. 

Approximate Weight

About 6.125 ounces (173 grams). 

SALES TAX

Depending on which state you live in eBay may add State Sales Tax on your purchase.

PAYMENT, SHIPPING, Insurance & PACKAGING

For auctions, if you do not send an instant payment through PayPal, I will send you an invoice within 24 hours of the end of the auction.

PayPal is my preferred method for receiving funds and payment is expected within 3 days of the completion of the auction.  I will normally ship within 1-2 business days of receiving payment in my PayPal account.

Shipment will be via the USPS Ground Advantage Mail or Priority Mail; your choice, I will offer both options.  I estimate shipping costs at the time of listing and any difference between my estimated cost and actual will be refunded back to you through eBay after the sale is completed.  A delivery confirmation (provides electronic tracking of the shipment) is included with all domestic shipments paid for through PayPal.  Please take the shipping costs into account when bidding.  If you purchase more than one item, I will do my best to combine shipping costs to save you as much as possible.  If you want your package insured, you must let me know in advance of payment.

Your actual shipping costs should be calculated automatically when you enter you zip code into eBay.

These items will be professionally packaged for maximum protection in shipping.

INTERNATIONAL BUYERS

The only form of payment I accept from international buyers is Pay Pal.  No exceptions!

International shipments will encounter longer shipping times due to distance and Customs requirements.  The USPS says 6-10 business days, but it can take longer.    International buyers are responsible for all customs fees, duties, import taxes or other related customs or import charges and all our out-of-pocket costs incurred in the shipment of packages internationally.

International shipment will be via eBay International Shipping.

DO NOT ask us to show a lesser value on the Customs Forms than the item sold for, or to ship the item purchased item as a gift.  Ebay requires us to report any buyer to them who requests this.

RETURN POLICY

If for some reason you are unhappy with the item you purchased and would like to return it, please contact me within 14 days to discuss the details.  Refunds will be based on the original selling price of the item only and less any fees charged by eBay.  Buyers to pay all shipping costs both ways unless I substantially misrepresented the item or its condition.  Items must be returned within 30 days of you receiving it and in the same condition as originally shipped.