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Terracotta sculpture of Hebe by Kuhse and Ernst March Söhne

Creator: Gottwalt Kuhse -Ernst March Söhne
Offered by: Mayfair Gallery

Description
Terracotta sculpture of Hebe by Kuhse and Ernst March Söhne
German, 1881
Figure: Height 165cm, width 72cm, depth 57cm
Plinth: Height 91cm, diameter 62cm
Total Height 256cm

This life-sized terracotta sculpture of the classical Greek figure, Hebe, is a truly beautiful piece. Daughter of Zeus and Hera, Hebe was the goddess of youth, and cupbearer to the Olympian gods. Hebe is represented as a beautiful young woman in a loose gown, with an embroidered and tasselled belt. She holds a vase in her left hand, and her right is wrapped around a large leafy branch. Hebe stands on a tall columnar plinth, decorated with acanthus leaves, a lion’s head, fruit swag, and bead-and-reel moulding.

The sculpture is signed by the designer, ‘G. Kuhse 1881’ and manufacturer, ‘E. March Söhne Berlin’. Gottwalt Kuhse was a gifted sculptor, who flourished in Germany in the decades 1870-90. He was trained under the acclaimed Albert Wolff, and regularly exhibited the Academy of Arts (Akademie der Künste) in Berlin. The first model of this sculpture was called ‘Shakuntala’ (after the heroine of a love story in the Mahabharata, a Hindu epic), and was very well received at the Berlin Academy, when it was exhibited there in 1883. Versions of this sculpture—most of which were renamed Hebe—were manufactured by Ernst March’s ceramic factory, based in the Charlottenburg district in Berlin. The company specialised in the creation of majolica (tin-glazed earthenware) and terracotta items, producing work of the highest quality for important buyers.

Artist/Maker: Gottwalt Kuhse and Ernst March Söhne

More Information

Documentation:	Signed
Origin:	Germany
Period:	19th Century
Materials:	Teracotta.
Creation Date:	1881
Styles / Movements:	Other
Dealer Reference #:	15948
Incollect Reference #:	724322

Dimensions

W.	28.35 in;	H.	100.79 in;	D.	22.44 in;
W.	72 cm;	H.	256 cm;	D.	57 cm;

Message from Seller:

Mayfair Gallery is a leading gallery in the field of art and antiques, holding a large collection of unique pieces for sale. The breadth of the gallery’s collection is wide, and includes items from a range of periods, styles and geographical origins, as well as works by famous artists and craftsmen. The main focus of the gallery’s collection is, however, on items produced during the 19th and early 20th century.