Pair of vases Nikolaus Kannhäuser Amphora ca. 1898

The female figure held a central position in Jugendstil in general and particularly in the creations of Amphora’s artists. Their work was strongly influenced by the very floral and stylized French Art Nouveau. Especially poster art by the likes of Alphonse Mucha and Paul Berthon in Paris were a significant source of inspiration for the Bohemian ceramic artists in Turn-Teplitz around 1900. Consequently, they produced a whole series of vases with female portraits as their main theme. From purely decorative to meaningfully allegorical, a great variety of portrait vases have emerged from the manufacture around that time.
Nikolaus Kannhäuser was one of the most talented portrait painters of Amphora and delivered numerous designs, including these vases.

These delicate ceramic objects, shaped like a calyx, virtually embody Art Nouveau. Similar to a tulip, the vases are wide at the bottom and gradually narrower towards the top. Using gilding and sponging, the craftsmen of Amphora realised a very naturalistic and pleasant background. The latter represents an intricate forest in the style of Japanese woodblock prints, which became popular in Europe around the turn of the 20th century. The main ornament on these vases are of course the portrait in profile of an idealized woman with flowers, chrysanthemums, braided into her hair. These vessels are masterfully executed, and the painting is particularly intricate and detailed.

Amphora was striving to create high-quality objects and therefore developed their own, patented, type of ceramic known as “ivory porcelain”. Using this particularly light type of ceramic material, they were able to create stunningly delicate and elegant vases and other decorative vessels. Withstanding the test of time, these high-quality objects are now widely considered to be valuable works of art in their own right, not solely decorative items.