Sugar Bowl with Battle Scenes (Bataillen-Malerei)
Classification
ceramics
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Bequest of Georgiana L. McClellan
Accession Number
1953-17-48-a,b
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
This elegant sugar bowl, produced by the renowned Royal Porcelain Manufactory Berlin (KPM,. 1763), late 19th-century German artistry from the period 1870–1900. Established under royal patronage, KPM was for its technically superior porcelain, blending functionality with opulent decoration. Shaped as a refined tableware piece, it reflects the era's fascination with historicism, where everyday objects became canvases for grand narratives. The bowl's defining feature is its *Bataillen-Malerei*—finely painted battle scenes that evoke the military triumphs and national pride of the newly unified G...