Art Nouveau majolica wall plaque

Description

Art Nouveau majolica wall plaque. Item 4791.This large wall plaque is decorated with majolica glazes to enhance the typical Art Nouveau pattern of the young girl and her long flowing tresses. The raised moulded design has been coloured by hand, and then using the sgraffito technique, small areas of colour on the grapes have been removed to reveal the earthenware body and create highlights, mainly on the dark blue grapes. It was made by the Schutz works near the town of Blansko, in what was then Moravia, but is now in the Czech Republic. The company ran from 1854 till 1917, when the Schutz brothers retired. The diameter is 436 mm (17.25 inches) and it stands 48 mm (2 inches) high. It is in very good condition, with only a couple of light scratches and some faint crazing to detract from it. It dates from around 1905.