Lot 0162
Large Qajar Underglaze-Painted Pottery Vase, Persia
Estimate: 600-800€
Large Qajar Underglaze-Painted Vase
Persia (Iran), Qajar dynasty, 19th century
Pottery (earthenware), polychrome underglaze painting with transparent glaze
Dimensions: height 50 cm
Marks: inventory number “2660” to base
Tall piriform vase on a short foot, with a wide neck and everted rim; four strap handles join the shoulder to the neck. The body is richly painted under the glaze in cobalt blue, manganese, green and touches of yellow: scrolling foliate vines with rosettes and composite blossoms cover the main field, framed by floral bands at the shoulder and foot. Small cartouches punctuate the design, all outlined in dark slip to sharpen the detail.
The dense floral scrolls and deep cobalt ground are characteristic of Qajar ceramics, which revived earlier Safavid ornamental schemes while adopting a brighter, more graphic palette for large display pieces like this well-balanced example.
Starting price: 400€
Estimate: 600-800€
Hammer Price: UNSOLD€
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Lot 0164
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Estimate: 3000-3500€
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Estimate: 3000-3500€A rare Russian porcelain vase richly gilded and hand-painted in the chinoiserie style.
Attributed to the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory, St. Petersburg, period of Emperor Nicholas I (1825–1855).
Height: 37 cm.This elaborately decorated vase exemplifies the luxurious taste of the Nicholas I era, when the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory produced highly ornamental pieces influenced by both European neoclassicism and oriental decorative traditions.
The body is designed in a classical krater shape, with a flaring scalloped rim and twin handles modeled as mythological masks. The surface is divided into vertical panels featuring figures in oriental costumes, alternating with floral and bird motifs painted in vivid enamels over a black ground. The lower section is adorned with raised oval medallions in imitation of gemstones, surrounded by delicate gilded beading. The square base continues the floral theme with richly detailed bouquets and gold foliage.
Such works were often produced in small numbers for imperial residences or court presentation gifts. The combination of black background, multicolored enamels, and lavish gilding reflects the fascination with East Asian art that spread across Europe in the early 19th century.
A closely related example is known from Litfund Auction No. 175 (August 29, 2019, Lot 5), confirming this vase’s association with the St. Petersburg Imperial Porcelain Manufactory and its refined artistry of the Nicholas I period.
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Lot 0160
Russian Porcelain Plate, Designed by Elizabeth Bem (BEHM) with a Proverb
Estimate: 250-350€
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“I’ll sit down at the table and think about how I should live, how I should be lonely.”
Maker’s mark: Kornilov Manufactory, St. Petersburg.
Date: late 19th – early 20th century.
Diameter: 24.8 cm.Elisaveta Merkuryevna Bem (1843–1914) was a Russian artist and illustrator, born into an old noble family of Tatar origin. She studied at the Drawing School of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts in St. Petersburg and graduated with a silver medal in 1864.
Bem became widely known for her silhouette albums — “Silhouettes” (1875) and “Silhouettes from Children’s Life” (1877) — and later for her illustrations of Russian folk proverbs and sayings. She collaborated with prominent publishers, including Posrednik (at the invitation of Leo Tolstoy) and I.D. Sytin, creating drawings full of warmth, humor, and insight into everyday life.
In the 1890s she began designing patterns for glassware and porcelain, achieving success at major exhibitions — including the World’s Fair in Chicago (1893) and the All-Russian Exhibition in Nizhny Novgorod (1896).
Her works were highly regarded both in Russia and abroad, receiving medals at international exhibitions in Paris (1900), Munich (1902), and Milan (1906). Bem’s art is admired for its lyrical simplicity and deep empathy toward common people and children, often expressed through moral reflections and folk wisdom — as seen in this plate’s design.
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Lot 0163
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The Gardner Porcelain Factory, founded in 1754 by Francis Gardner, an Englishman working in Russia, became one of the most renowned manufactories of the Empire. Over two centuries it produced masterpieces of porcelain art that graced imperial palaces and aristocratic collections across Europe.Famous for its custom-made services featuring family coats of arms, crowns, and monograms, the factory received special recognition from Empress Catherine II in 1785, who granted it the right to use the Moscow coat of arms on its mark. Later, in 1855, it earned the right to bear the Imperial State Emblem of Russia, a distinction given only to the finest manufactories of the period.
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These objects were popular in the late 19th century among collectors and members of the urban bourgeoisie for their satirical, playful, and sometimes erotic themes.
Starting price: 600€
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Hammer Price: 600€