O&EG Royal Austria Vibrantly Hand Painted Thistle Cabinet Plates Set Of 4
Product Description And Additional Pictures
We are pleased to offer this stunning group of four hand-painted and signed antique porcelain cabinet plates with the O&EG (Oscar and Edgar Gutherz) Royal Austria hallmark. The hallmark on these antique plates (please see our photograph), printed in green with the word 'Royal' inside the wreath, the word 'Austria' below the wreath, and the initials 'O&EG' above the wreath, was used by Oscar and Edgar Gutherz of Altrolau, Bohemia (now Stara Role, Czech Republic) from 1899 to 1918. These plates are over 100 hundred years old, and they are in absolutely gorgeous condition! Peruse our detailed photographs - we promise that you will find no scratches, little if any wear to the gold, and only one or two inobtrusive glaze pops (a function of the high temperatures in the kiln). Measuring 8-3/4" in diameter, these stunning antique porcelain plates feature a vibrantly colored thistle design that is anything but humble! The design may have started with an elaborate stencil, but it was overlaid onto an intricately hued background, augmented with additional paint and enamels, and adorned with gilt enameling at the outer border and on the stems and 'blooms' themselves. The overall effect is multi-layered, very complex, and absolutely unlike anything we have ever seen! This stunning set will be the focal point of any antique porcelain or casbinet plate display!
BRIEF HISTORY: Oscar Gutherz started a porcelain decorating business in Altrolau in 1884, using financial backing from the American importer Lazarus Straus & Sons. The company subsequently expanded into porcelain production. In 1898, Oscar's brother, Edgar Gutherz, bought out Marx and joined Oscar in the business, which became known as the Oscar & Edgar Gutherz (O. & E.G.) Royal Austria Factory. In 1918 the Royal Austria Factory ceased to be; instead it became part of OEPIAG, the Austrian Porcelain Industry.