amphora pottery
Amphora is the name given to a Greek or Roman jar with a specific shape. However, collectors of art pottery will know this to be a nickname for the Art Nouveau pottery manufactured by Riessner, Stellmacher, and Kessel during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
In 1892, a Viennese pottery designer and merchant by the name of Alfred Stellmacher encouraged his sons and sons-in-law to start their own pottery manufactory. Two of his sons bought 600 porcelain molds and began what would later become the Riessner, Stellmacher, and Kessel Porcelain Manufactory. Two of the more accomplished designers (Eduard Stellmacher and Paul Dachsel) quickly gained a following for their unique niche in art nouveau ceramics. Their work went on to receive serval accolades at the 1893 and 1904 World Fairs, and this recognition served as the foundation for their success.
Amphora pottery is often marked with the word “amphora”, leading the Riessner, Stellmacher, and Kessel manufactory to be nicknamed “The Amphora Porcelain Works”. They employed a few other recognizable marks, such as a red “R.St.K” or simply the initials “RS&K”. The pottery was often signed “Made in Austria”.
The style of Amphora pottery is distinct due to the use of Stellmacher’s “ivory porcelain”, which is pliable, temperature-resistant, and gave the works a lusterless golden finish. Thanks to a myriad of skilled decorators from the Special Ceramics School of Teplitz, the pieces are lauded for their vibrant colors, innovative designs, and unique glazes.
The golden age of Amphora Pottery lasted from 1892 until 1904, by which time Eduard Stellmacher and Paul Daschel had left the company. However, the pieces that came out of Amphora Porcelain Works are still recognized and celebrated to this day.