Original Imperial German Pre-WWI Frederick the Great “ZIETHEN SITZEND VOR DEM KÖNIG” Ziethen Sitting Before his King Porcelain Tableau - Rare
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Original Item. Only One Available. This is an outstanding Imperial German porcelain “tableau”, depicting Frederick the Great speaking with General Ziethen. On the front of the plinth, in gold lettering, is the inscription: "Ziethen sits before the king." Books are stacked beneath Zieten's chair. This stack has no inherent meaning but is solely due to the technology of porcelain firing: during the firing process, the porcelain clay softens. The heavy figure on the Baroque chair would otherwise sag during this process, with the seat drooping downwards. To prevent this, the stack of books is placed beneath the chair. Similar, technologically motivated decorations often include tall tufts of grass or tree stumps beneath the bellies of animal figures in porcelain.
The piece measures 11 ⅜ x 5 ¾ x 8 ¾” and is in great condition without any serious damage. The only bit of damage we could find is that the end of the dog’s tail has broken off, though we aren’t sure how long it originally was. The bottom of the piece is maker-marked with a Crown over AV, for a maker we could not identify. We found another example in a museum in Berlin, which attributes the pieces to a Thuringian porcelain manufacturer.
The characters are very well-detailed and colored, and this is an overall excellent piece. The porcelain is based off of a popular 1786 historical etching by the Berlin artist Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki. It depicts the Prussian General Hans Joachim von Zieten being invited to sit by King Frederick the Great during an audience on January 25, 1785.
A very rare piece, ready for display.
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