Aelteste Volkstedter Porzellanfabrik Dragon Good Luck Charm Porzellan Palais Leipzig

Aelteste Volkstedter Porzellanfabrik, "Lucky Dragon (Good Fortune)", Porzellan Palais Leipzig, 1921(Monumental porcelain figure - Art Deco - Hugo Meisel - Volkstedt 1921 - polychrome paint on enamel)

This monumental dragon figure belongs to one of the most important ensembles of early 20th-century European porcelain sculpture - the decorative program designed for Leipzig's Porzellan Palais, inaugurated at the 1921 Spring Fair. Under the architectural direction of Hans Poelzig and Marlene Moeschke, sculptor Hugo Meisel designed a cycle of at least sixteen large figures for the Aelteste Volkstedter Porzellanfabrik, founded in Rudolstadt in 1762 and one of the most internationally established manufacturers of figurative porcelain. This cycle follows in the tradition of 18th-century Meissen modelling - notably by Kändler - while transposing it into the condensed, expressive formal language of the 1920s. In terms of its scale, technical ambition and artistic coherence, the ensemble has few equals in the European applied arts of this period.

The "Glücksdrache", allegorically subtitled "Gute Zeiten" (Good Fortune), is one of five known dragon figures from the cycle. Its dynamic spiral shape and finely-worked polychrome surface make it one of the most outstanding examples of large porcelain from the interwar period. The incised "HM" monogram and underglaze blue workshop sign are consistent with documented pieces from the same series. Two other examples from the Porzellan Palais program are in the permanent collection of the Hetjens-Museum in Düsseldorf; other figures are in international private collections, notably in Japan. Comparative works are documented at the Grassi Museum für Angewandte Kunst in Leipzig, the Museum für Angewandte Kunst in Gera and the Thüringer Landesmuseum Heidecksburg in Rudolstadt.

Design and execution: Hugo Meisel (1887-1966), c. 1920-21; Aelteste Volkstedter Porzellanfabrik, Volkstedt 1921Material: porcelain, polychrome paint on enamel
Signature: incised monogram "HM", workshop sign in blue underglaze
Dimensions: height 99.3 cm, width approx. 52 cm, depth approx. 30 cm
Provenance: Porzellan Palais decorative program, Leipzig, Spring Fair 1921
Condition: professionally restored; slight wear to base