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Some of the Terms and Names
used on this Website |
(Please let us know if you have requests for additions to this list.)
efineantiques@aol.com
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This is not intended to be
all-inclusive. It is meant to just present some basic
information about what may be unfamiliar terms to new
collectors, as well as clarification for those of us who are
"Life-Long Learners." I learn every day and hope that
never stops. |
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Altrohlau. A city in
Europe in what is now called the Czech Republic. Up
until 1918 and before the end of World War I,
Altrohlau was in Austria. In 1918,
Altrohlau, now called Stara Role, became a part
of the newly-formed Czechoslovakia. Altrohlau
is the German name for the city; Stara Role
is the Czech name for it. In 1993, after
the fall of communism, Czechoslovakia became the Czech
Republic and remains so today. Altrohlau is
famous for its 12 hot springs and spas and is a suburb of the city of
Carlsbad (also known as Karlovy Vary). Both
Altrohlau and Carlsbad are in the western region of
the Czech Republic known as Bohemia. The
names Bohemia and Czech are interchangeble. The
entire region is in the Ore Mountains which is the home of
many Kaolin mines. Kaolin is an essential ingredient for
the manufacturing of hard paste porcelain. Because of the Kaolin,
there are many fine porcelain factories in the region.
(My primary source for this interesting information is
Sonia B., a native of the region and whose grandmother
and aunt worked in some of the factories in years past. "Sonia,
thank you for helping to sort out the complicated history of this beautiful
part of the world.")
Click here for some Austrian history:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria Another great
source for this topic is
Ginni's
Collectors Circle & Bohemian Boutique,
Ginni
D. Snodgrass.
She is also coming out with a book on
Royal Vienna fake marks
which will be posted on her website. |
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Blank. Undecorated porcelain. Also
called whiteware or greenware (I have a talented and beloved aunt who was
a china painter at one time. She always referred to the blanks as greenware.) Many porcelain factories produced
blanks which were decorated by artists outside the factories. A green
factory mark is sometimes (not always) an indication that the piece was decorated by an
outside artist. |
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Bohemia. Western and middle
region of the Czech Republic. The names
Czech and Bohemia are interchangeable. Many fine
porcelain factories and glass factories are located in this region.
Bohemia has also come to be used as a trademark name
for some of the Czech glass, which includes cut glass, hand painted, lead
crystal, etc.
(My primary source for this interesting information is
Sonia B., a native of the region and whose grandmother
and aunt worked in some of the factories in years past. "Sonia,
thank you for helping to sort out the complicated history of this beautiful
part of the world.")
See Altrohlau above and Czech Republic
and Stara Role
below for more information
See this link for some Bohemian history: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemia
Another great source for this topic is
Ginni's
Collectors Circle & Bohemian Boutique,
Ginni
D. Snodgrass.
She is also coming out with a book on
Royal Vienna fake marks
which will be posted on her website. |
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Boucher, Francois. A French Rococo-era
artist, 1703-1770, whose pastoral, figural, romantic, and
mythological scenes have been widely reproduced on
porcelains and tapestries. Reproductions
of his work are also frequently seen as framed decorative prints.
Boucher was tutored for a
short time by Jean-Honore Fragonard (see
Fragonard below), also a French Rococo-era artist whose works have also been
widely reproduced. (Sources:
www.artchive.com and
www.artcyclopedia.com).
During the years 1749-1754, Boucher worked in France in the French
Royal Porcelain Factory in Vincennes
(original location of the factory) and also in Sevres
(where the factory was relocated).
Engravings of his work were used as design sources
for the factory's sculpture and figure painting. The factory's stock
list for 1752 included 23 engravings copied from Boucher's well-known putti
(cherub) designs (Source:
Vincennes and Sevres Porcelain, Catalogue of the Collections, J. Paul Getty
Museum, pages16 and 198).
We had the privilege of attending a special
Boucher Exhibition in 2004 (January 18 - April 18, 2004),"Genius of the
French Rococo" at the
Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas.
On display were four magnificent
Boucher oils on canvas, as well as some of his original
drawings and sketches. As stated on the museum's website, the
exhibition was "organized to mark the 300th
anniversary of his birth and was the first comprehensive exhibit of his
work." For more interesting information about
Francois Boucher, visit this link of the
Kimbell Art Museum, Ft.Worth, Texas, USA |
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Cartouche. An ornately framed area, usually in
the Rococo or Baroque style, showcasing
such things as florals, figurals, pastoral scenes, names, places, dates,
etc. Most frequently found on porcelain, silver, and furniture as a
part of the decoration and even as part of manufacturing marks. May
also be found on various paper products. |
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Czech Republic. A country in
central Europe bordered by Germany, Austria, and Poland. Previously
known as Czechoslovakia which was formed in 1918
at the end of World War I. In 1993, after the fall
of communism, Czechoslovakia was divided into two countries = the Czech Republic and
the Slovak Republic. A Slovak American viewer, Patrick
Kiral, advised me of the two new names. "Thank you, Patrick." Also see Altrohlau and
Bohemia above and Stara Role below for more information.
For some Czech history, go to:
http://www.myczechrepublic.com/czech-history and
http://www.czechsite.com/history.html
Another great source for this topic is
Ginni's
Collectors Circle & Bohemian Boutique,
Ginni
D. Snodgrass.
She is also coming out with a book on
Royal Vienna fake marks
which will be posted on her website. |
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Decal. A pattern decoration applied to a
piece of porcelain -- also referred to as
"transfer." Decals or transfers may be detected by looking at the
finished product under a magnifying glass and a good light. If a
series of dots can be seen, it is a transfer or a decal. It can be
totally transfer/decal, or it is possible that it may be a combination
of transfer and hand painting; that is, the design itself is in
transfer, but the colors were added by hand.
Refer also to "Hand Painted." |
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Depose. French word for registered
(accents over the e's). (Source:
Kovel's New Dictionary of Marks, page 230). |
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Dresden. A city in Germany known for its many
porcelain factories and decorating studios, particularly in the 19th
century. Dresden is also a general term used to describe the ornately
decorated Meissen-style porcelain wares produced in the area of Dresden,
Saxony, Germany.* Typical decoration is
in the Rococo style and includes colorful and bountiful florals, foliates,
shells, cherubs, and figurals, as well as curves that flow gracefully around
and over the rims and bases.
*Dresden
is a city and Saxony is a state.
Here is a link to some historical information about that part of the world:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxony |
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Dresden Style. Porcelain wares produced and decorated
in the style of the German factories and studios. France and England,
for example, copied and produced many Dresden-style porcelain wares. |
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Encrusted. An inlay or cover over a surface; for
example a porcelain vase completely covered in porcelain flowers and leaves
would be referred to as an encrusted vase. Jewels may also be referred
to as being encrusted on various objects and surfaces. |
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Footed. A very small pedestal-style base on a cup
or bowl, as opposed to a flat bottom. |
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Fragonard, Jean-Honore. French Rococo-era artist, 1732-1806,
who studied for a short time with Francois Boucher
(see Boucher above). Like Boucher, his works have been widely
reproduced. (Sources:
www.artchive.com and
www.artcyclopedia.com). |
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Gilt/Gilded. A gold finish, particularly used in
the decorating of porcelain, wood, and bronze. Candelabra and lamps
are sometimes described as being "gilt-bronze." |
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Greenware. Refer to
Blank
above. |
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Hand Chased. An etched design created by hand.
Most frequently found on silver/silverplate tea services and flatware. |
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Handmalerei or Handmalte. German for hand painted. |
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Hand Painted. Pattern and colors created totally by
hand by an artist. If the pattern is in transfer and the colors added
by hand, it must be referred to as a "combination of transfer and
hand painted, but never just hand painted --
doing so would be misleading. Even if the mark on the piece includes
the words "Hand Painted," be sure to check for signs of a transfer pattern
-- the pieces themselves can be deceiving because of the wording of
the mark.
Refer also to "Decal." |
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Kauffmann, Angelica. A Swiss Neoclassical
painter, 1741-1807, who painted in the Rococo style and whose works have
been widely reproduced. She was a child prodigy and well-known by the
age of 11 for her artistic and musical talents.
(Sources: www.wwar.com
,
www.factmonster.com,
www.artcyclopedia.com) |
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Relief. Any type of raised design on a molded
object. For example, the rim of a plate may have latticework or other
designs that are molded into the plate, but they rise above the surface
rather than being flush. |
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Repousse. Same as "Relief" except used in
reference to metals such as silver/silverplate tea sets. |
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Reticulated. Pierced. Pierced rims on plates
are referred to as reticulated. |
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Rococo. An ornate style of decorating made
popular by the French in the 18th century. Typical decoration includes
extravagant scroll work and gilding, as well as bountiful florals, foliates,
fruits, and shells. |
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Rococo Revival. A resurgence in popularity of the
Rococo style occurred in the mid-19th century and is referred to as "Rococo
Revival." |
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Schumann, Carl. German porcelain factory in business
in Arzberg, Bavaria, Germany, c.1881-1994. For more history on this
company, click here:
Efineantiques Schumann
Home Page |
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Stara Role. A city in the Czech
Republic in central Europe. Stara Role was previously known as Altrohlau,
Austria. Altrohalu is the German name for the
city; Star Role is the Czech name for it.
My primary source for this interesting information is
Sonia B., a native of the region and whose grandmother
and aunt worked in some of the factories in years past. "Sonia,
thank you for helping to sort out the complicated history of this beautiful
part of the world.")
For more information, see Altrohlau, Bohemia,
and Czech Republic above.
Another great source for this topic is
Ginni's
Collectors Circle & Bohemian Boutique,
Ginni
D. Snodgrass.
She is also coming out with a book on
Royal Vienna fake marks
which will be posted on her website. |
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Transfer. Refer to
Decals
and Hand Painted
above. |
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Watteau, Jean-Antoine. French Rococo-era artist,1684-1721,
best known for his romantic scenes of "elaborately costumed ladies and
gentlemen in outdoor settings". As
with Boucher and
Fragonard, his work has been widely copied and reproduced. |
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Whiteware. Refer to
Blank above. |
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