Vintage Kister German Porcelain reclining Napoleon Figure c. 1950s. Measures 7"x4"x7 1/2". Weight 2 pds. Thin hairline to bottom, hard to see from top. PROVENANCE: A Charleston SC Private Estate. In 1863 the son of Johann Kister with the name of August Wilhelm Fridolin Kister became proprietor of the factory. To further improve the product range he employed a teacher of the arts school in Sonneberg, Professor Reinhard Möller as leader of the modelling department in 1877. From 1890 onwards, the factory started to make new groups like female dancers, dancing couples and centrepieces and during 1894 the factory also introduced figures in old Meissen styles, like lace figures as well as historical figures and groups. In the year 1905 August Kister sold the factory to his son-in-law Mr. Offeney who turned the business into a private liability company and introduced the crossed-through 'S' mark. During an exhibition in Turin (Italy) in 1911, the company was awarded its 12th gold medal in addition to the two silver medals and six Grand Prix awards received earlier at national and international displays. This of course increased business and in 1913 the company already employed just over 300 workers, a number that remained constant until 1937. After the German Democratic Republic was founded in 1949 the overall economic interests slowly shifted in the direction of integrating the well known porcelain manufacturers into the process of gaining urgently needed foreign currency. Control of the cashflow was the main problem but the state solved it by simply forcing larger factories into a mixed company form that allowed state participation. The factory in Scheibe-Alsbach was put under this form of state supervision in the year 1962 and the status remained until the factory was totally nationalized in 1972.

Thin hairline to bottom, hard to see from top.