Flower Stand (Blumenhalter), shape no. 1457a

This object, created to display plants or flowers, consists of a base formed as knotted tree roots and rocks upon which a male capercaillie crouches. A large member of the grouse family, which was often hunted as a game bird in Europe, the dynamic, nearly life-sized representation seen here has been modeled to display his full tail and wings and is perched in front of the central section of the stand, modeled as a tangle of ferns, ivy, and a tree trunk. This trunk upholds one central and two side branches. On each of these branches, sits a jardiniere formed as a barrel with wood staves still displaying their outer bark held together by nailed hoops. Both the jardinieres and the branches are encircled with trailing ivy. All parts of the flower stand are enlivened by vibrantly colored glazes.

This flower stand is an impressive example of the production of a leading Central-European maker of majolica, or lead-glazed earthenwares, Hugo Lonitz. In 1868, Martin Ernst Hugo Lonitz founded his eponymous firm in Neuhaldensleben, Prussia (today Haldensleben, Germany), and soon came to specialize in ornamental terracotta and majolica. With its substantial size and naturalistic detail, this piece is characteristic of this German maker’s most distinctive work. Lonitz's strengths are best seen in depictions of the natural world, especially wild game and forest plants of Central Europe. Of the nearly 350 models included in an 1884 Hugo Lonitz trade catalogue, this “Blumenhalter / mit 3 Töpfen / Balzender Auerhahn [Flower Stand / with 3 Pots / Courting Capercaillie]”, as it is listed, is not only the largest item, but also the most expensive, priced at 75 Marks wholesale.

The Lonitz firm garnered many awards at both regional exhibitions in Europe, as well as for its displays at international exhibitions. It seems that Lonitz used world’s fair displays, especially in the burgeoning markets of the United States and Australia, as forums for becoming known internationally and as important marketing tools. Between the mid-1870s and 1900, the firm exhibited and won commendations at the following international exhibitions: Centennial International Exhibition, Philadelphia, 1876; Melbourne International Exhibition, Australia, 1880–81; Exposição Brasileira-Allemã [Brazilian-German Exposition], Porto Alegre, Brazil, 1881; the World's International and Cotton Centennial Exposition, New Orleans, 1884–85; and the World’s Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893. Exporting its production to key international markets like the United States, Australia, and even Brazil, seems to have been an important business focus for the firm. Perhaps tellingly, this flower stand on offer was discovered around 2012 by a dealer in Melbourne, Australia, where it had been in a family’s collection for many years. Indeed, after Lonitz’s showing at the Melbourne International Exhibition, notices appeared over the next decade for new shipments of the firm’s latest products being newly imported and for sale in this Australian city.

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Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.

Private collection, Melbourne, Australia, until ca. 2012 [date and method of acquisition unknown]; purchased by George Costa, Ophelia Fine Arts, Sydney, Australia, ca. 2012; consigned by George Costa to Strawser Auction Group, Wolcottville, Indiana, 2014; Sale, Strawser Auction Group, Hatfield, Pennsylvania, 22 November 2014, lot 325; purchased by Amy C. Griffin-Witt, Denton, Texas, 2014; given to the Walters Art Museum, 2024.