CIRCA 1904, BLUE SCEPTRE AND IRON-RED ORB MARKS, INCISED MODEL NO. 6350, VARIOUS IMPRESSED LETTERS AND CYPHERS, INCLUDING B TO BOTH, POSSIBLY FOR DATE CODE 1903, DESIGNED BY GOTTLIEB ELSTER IN 1900, THE DANCER MODELED BY P. SCHLEY.

First recorded in 1900, the design for the present centerpiece was executed by Gottlieb Elster (1867-1917). The exuberant flower modeling and mixture of Art Nouveau and Neo-Rococo styles are fully exhibited in the present lot and exemplar of the artistic direction of Alexander Kips. The model of the dancer was composed by Paul Schley (1854-1942). His model of 'Flora' is similarly sinuous, but his dancer strikes an even more spirited contrapposto pose. For images from the 1904 Saint Louis World's Fair of the present centerpiece, see F. Dietz, The Hassan Sabet Collection, The Golden Age of KPM, Petersburg, 2015, p. 54, figs. 15 and 16. The centerpiece is featured prominently at the right entrance to the K.P.M. display before the much lauded porcelain frieze of dancers.