Goethe sculpture, Michael Powolny (Wiener Keramik, 1907)

This amazing piece was found in our trip to Prague last Summer... and we did it in the most unexpected way, as we found this little passage while walking about the old part of the city. The passage gave place to an inner square, the square to an alley, the alley to a court... and just when we were about to exit to a main street we found this shop-window with amazing stuff on it. There were some Lötz items and some Wiener Werkstatte figurines, as well as some Czech cubist pottery!!! Wow, that was an amazing place to find. Expecting huge prices we entered and asked for some prices... Yes, the Lötz glass was expensive, too expensive, but surprisingly the ceramic stuff had quite affordable prices. The seller was kind and let us hold the glass items and so on... but I think she still had her doubts about us. Her face changed when I asked her for the price of “the Michael Powolny Goethe sculpture”... she genuinely seemed surprised anyone would know that! :) I didn't realized at the moment as I was pointing out to it and looking in its direction, but Carlos told me about her face: such huge eyes she opened he says!!!

By the way, we tried to go back but couldn't find the passage, the square... no way! :)

It stands 32 cm tall and is signed with the Wiener Keramik stamp and the MP signature for Michael Powolny (pic.2) and was produced in 1907, one of his most creative periods. we also think it belongs to one of the first editions, prior to the Wiener Keramik and Gmunder Keramik joint venture, as it only displays the Wiener Keramik logo. All the other Goethe sculptures we've been able to find online or on auction houses catalogues have both stamps, just like our powolny mirror from around 1913 (please take a look at http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/127765-mirror-frame-michael-powolny-wiener-ke?in=collection-2442)

This sculpture, as others depicting people dressed in 19th Century fashions, was inspired by the Biedermeier style that was so admired by the members of the Wiener Werkstätte due to the simplicity of its furniture and silver designs. Goethe, due to his studies in Botanic sciences, and especially his work The Metamorphose of Plants, was surely admired by Powolny. Perhaps this is the reason why Goethe's figure is standing on a flowery green spot in this sculpture (see pic.2), and what an amazing shade of green it has!

On pic.4 I've created a display of different views of the sculpture from different points of view. I love to walk around sculptures whenever I can -they're not always properly displayed, but placed agaisnt walls... so sad-, and I wanted you to see how graceful it looks from wherever you look at it... I hope I managed to achieve it.