Antique Charles Ahrenfeldt "Crown Saxe" Hand-Painted Porcelain Fish Service Set - 10 Pieces Total
Size Platter 25” x 10” x 2” This will be shipped in separate box. Plates 8.5”
Please note that 3 plates have hairline cracks but are tight and some wear to glaze as seen in pictures as these are 115+ years old.
The platter is in excellent condition with bright colors and no chips or cracks.
Item Description: Up for sale is a stunning, highly collectible 10-piece antique porcelain fish service set manufactured by Charles Ahrenfeldt. This luxury heirloom collection features the prestigious green underglaze "Crown Saxe" export mark, dating its production between roughly 1886 and 1910. Each piece features intricately detailed, vibrant hand-painted depictions of various freshwater game fish swimming amidst delicate underwater seaweed foliage and soft blue water ripples. The rims are styled with an elegant, lightly scalloped edge and finished with a brushed gold gilt trim.
Brand: Charles Ahrenfeldt
Pattern: Fish Service (Pattern #1512) marked on some plates.
Type: Dinner Set / Cabinet Plates & Platter
Material: Porcelain / Fine China
Theme: Fish / Aquatic / Wildlife
Time Period Manufactured: 1886-1910
Origin: Germany / France (Saxe / Limoges)Era: Victorian / Edwardian
The Charles Ahrenfeldt "Crown Saxe" mark represents a unique chapter in late 19th and early 20th-century European porcelain production. It bridges the worlds of high-end French design and masterful German-Bohemian manufacturing.
The History of Charles Ahrenfeldt Charles Ahrenfeldt was an entrepreneurial porcelain merchant and decorator who began his career in the 1840s. He managed porcelain export businesses in Paris and New York before establishing his own decorating studio and factory in the legendary Limoges region of France in 1884.When his son, Charles J. Ahrenfeldt, took over operations in 1894, the company expanded heavily. They built advanced workshops in Montjovis (near Limoges) and expanded into the Bohemian clay-rich regions of Altrohlau, Austria, and Carlsbad (now part of the Czech Republic). The factories operated successfully until the mid-20th century, eventually closing their doors in 1969.
Deciphering the "Crown Saxe" Mark The distinctive green underglaze stamp consisting of a crown, crossed arrows, and the word "SAXE" was used strictly between 1886 and 1910.The Meaning of "Saxe": Saxe is the French word for Saxony, a region traditionally famed for its luxury German porcelain (such as Meissen). Ahrenfeldt used the "Saxe" branding specifically for high-end pieces targeted for the luxury export market in the United States and Great Britain.
The Trans-European Process: Porcelain blanks—the raw, unpainted white clay forms—were fired at Ahrenfeldt's workshop in Altrohlau, Austria. They were then either decorated directly in Austria or shipped back to the main ateliers in Limoges, France, where master painters added the fish motifs and real gold leafing before final glazing.
The Dresden Connection: The artistic style of the Crown Saxe line was heavily inspired by the intricate, romantic look of Dresden and Meissen porcelain. This meant heavy gold gilding, delicately scalloped swirling edges, and extraordinarily crisp, lifelike nature scenes.
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