Rosenthal Dancing Boy and Goat Figurine Pre-World War II
Product Description And Additional Pictures
: We are offering a beautiful, Pre-World War II Rosenthal porcelain figurine, featuring an impish nude boy playing and dancing with an equally impish young kid goat. The manufacturing mark at the bottom of the piece tells us that this figurine was hand-painted ("handgemalt") and produced between 1935 – 1938. At any given time you will not find many figurines on the market made from this mold, and you will generally find that they have chips, or other flaws, are seconds, or (based on their backstamps) were made in a later post-war period, ranging from the US occupation to the 1950’s. Our figurine is flawless, and the backstamp definitively confirms that our boy and his goat were made prior to WW II. The lightly impressed initials MHF, found at the base of the figurine, tell us that the piece was designed by Max Hermann Fritz (1873-1948), a famous German sculptor and porcelain designer. Fritz, who started as a pupil of Lorenz Hutschenreuther, primarily directed his creative focus to small sculptures, including animals and putti, or children.
This figurine is exquisitely modeled, with great detail given to features such as the boys’ curls, childish form, and the goat’s exquisite coat. The boy is rendered in cream tones except for his tousled, rich brown hair. The goat, on the other hand, is rendered in rich details with patches of dark gray and tannish brown fur, black hooves, and expressive eyes and mouth. The figurine measures 8" in height, and rests on an oval base measuring 3-½" in length and 3-¼" in width. Our figurine is in excellent condition, with no cracks, chips, repairs or stains.
BRIEF HISTORY: Philipp Rosenthal (1855-1937) began his porcelain business in Germany in 1884. Initially he purchased porcelain blanks from other manufacturers, and then went door-to-door selling the items that his wife Maria had hand-decorated. In 1891, Rosenthal established a factory in Asch, Bohemia and began production of his own porcelain goods. Rosenthal’s business was highly successful, and from 1897 to 1934, he acquired additional factories in Kronach, Marktredwitz, Selb, Waldenburg, Sophienthal, and Waldershof. With the 1908 acquisition of the Marktredwitz factory, Rosenthal also acquired the name "Thomas".
In 1934, the Rosenthals - who were Jews - came under significant pressure from the growth of German Nationalism. The Nazi government eventaully stripped the Rosenthals of any ability to manage their company. In 1935, when it became clear that the operations were to be nationalized, Philipp Rosenthal fled Germany. At that time, his company employed more than 5,000 people across 10 different companies. Sadly, he died in 1937. The Rosenthal company continued with limited production throughout World War II under the auspices of the Third Reich.
At the outbreak of World War II, Philip Jr. joined the Scottish Air Force; he subsequently transferred to the French Foreign Legion, and then joined the British Foreign Office. When World War II ended, Philip Jr. returned to Germany to reclaim his familly's assets and reassert control over the company. It was a difficult situation, and no resolution was achieved by Phillip Jr. until September, 1950. When he returned to leadership of the Rosenthal company, he successfully modernized out-of-date factories and re-established the company's lost markets, including its former market in the United States. To this day, the Rosenthal name is associated with quality porcelain items.
