We are pleased to present this spectacular set of (6), 1932-1940 floral reticulated ornate gilt hand painted 8.25 x 1.25" round luncheon plates, finished by the legendary Carl Schumann Dresden decorating studio. Schumann continued to hand decorate fine German china in the classic Dresden style for well over 100 years, and our set of Pre WW II plates feature brilliant center spring floral sprays, copious gilding, and beautiful lattice reticulation. The bases carry the proper 1932 to 1940 vintage crown & lion shield mark, with the additionally stamped 'BAVARIA'. The dates are verified by the classic http://www.porcelainmarksandmore.com web site, as Carl Schumann Stamp #3-27,and our gorgeous group weighs 3 pds 10 oz. This valuable Pre WW II set of 6 luncheon plates is in wonderful condition................... Originally from Angelroda (Thuringia) Christian Heinrich Schumann (1822, †o 1884) had a small pottery in Arzberg that had to close because it was in the way of the railway which was finalized in November 1879 and connected Arzberg with the railway network. Together with businessman Riess as financial backer, Christian Heinrich Schumann founded his new porcelain-orientated factory directly under the Jakobsburg castle, next to the market square in the town center and ironically directly next to the railway tracks responsible for the closure of his previous business. From the four children Christian Heinrich Schumann and his wife Christiana (1838, to 1928) had, only three made an impression on the further company history. Only the youngest child with the name of Carl (1871, to 1926) was really interested in the factory and business proceedings while the older son Christoph (1864, to 1916) helped out now and then but often started endless discussions on how a factory should be run. Third son Eduard on the other hand kept out of the way and rather concentrated on his studies. In such a situation it was only understandable that shortly before Christian Heinrich Schumann passed away in 1884 he stated that Carl should inherit the factory as he not only showed most interest but had also more than once impressed his father with technical knowledge and the ability to quickly adapt to various situations. However Carl was not old enough to officially take over business when his father died and so the company was run by his mother Christiana................ The factory was renamed on the 21st birthday of Carl Schumann I, however his mother still remained in charge until she stepped down in 1896 when Carl married. Business steadily increased and so Carl as porcelain specialist together with his brother Eduard as manager launched a second business in 1904, the Westdeutsche Porzellanfabrik Duisdorf G.m.b.H. in Duisdorf near Bonn (North-Rhine Westphalia). Christoph Schumann had previously married into the wealthy land owner’s family Schreider in the town of Schwarzenhammer and in 1905 together with his father-in-law Karl August Schreider founded the Porzellanfabrik Schumann & Schreider there. Years passed and business steadily increased, allowing the company to build a library and a canteen for their workers next to providing cheap housing for employees that originally had lived further away. Due to his social engagement Carl Schumann I eventually became privy councillor in Arzberg and his two sons Heinrich and Carl Schumann II were frequently seen in the factory, greedily absorbing knowledge................. On July 19th 1923 the company was transformed into a corporation and all seemed fine, but three years later Carl Schumann I died at the age of only 55. He was succeeded by his son Carl Schumann II who at the time had been studying in America and later founded the 'Schumann China Corporation of New York' which distributed Schumann products in the U.S. up until the late 1920's. The factory was run by his brother Heinrich during his absence. While the new market in the U.S. at first seemed very promising, the world financial crisis which started in New York on October 25th 1929 put a dramatic end to nearly all Schumann export efforts. But the 'home front' was not much better and the relatively short-lived business in Duisdorf which had specialized on 'Zwiebelmuster' (Blue Onion) and 'Strohblume' (Strawflower) decorated items remained in family hands only until 1935 before it was sold due to economic reasons (see there)............... It should be noted that the Carl Schumann company had quite interesting business relations with companies from U.S. and the factory was one of a few that produced items for Ebeling & Reuss which then were sold under the 'Erphila Germany' mark. Another little known fact is that the 'Carl Schumann Porzellanfabrik A.G.' was one of the few German companies allowed to produce Mickey Mouse figurines under license from Disney. They used a beautiful add created by 'Zereiss & Co.' to promote these porcelain products, featuring little Mickeys performing a traditional Bavarian dance. Most of these so-called 'un-aryan' products were destroyed during the Third Reich period from 1934 to 1945 and are therefore among the rarest European pre-war Disneyana collectibles................ Following WW2 the company supported many former Sudeten Germans by offering housing and employment and after founding the house building company 'Schumann-Wohnungsbau G.m.b.H.' in 1950 eventually tried to match former success, reaching its maximum number of 1053 workers and 70 salaried employees in 1953/1954. At that time the factory used three round kilns as well as three complete tunnel kilns as lots of items were needed for the local market but at the same time export numbers stagnated as more and more cheap imports from Japan were flooding the U.S. market and slowly pushing European and especially German items aside. Carl Schumann II resigned in 1961, leaving the business to his son Carl Schumann III before dying in 1975 and having in the meantime been town mayor and declared freeman of Arzberg.

Excellent condition - minor wear to gilt rims