Would anyone be able to tell me if this planter, stamped "WS&S 12937" is genuine? I have searched and compared it to other planters of the same manufacturer and been unable to find it or one similar to it. Many thanks in advance.
As far as I know WS&S has never been reproduced. It can be hard to find exact matches on WS&S pieces especially here in the US. Lovely planter by the way.
nice. although no high prices at the moment for Schiller it's an honest piece. what looks overpainted is original. wonderful Bohemian Jugendstil from Bodenbach - today Podmokly. the big problem with these factories and producers spread all around bigger cities is the loss of their archives during the war and the anti-German legislation by the Beneš decrees. on internet too you won't find much about the smaller factories because the post-war Czechs were - understandably - not interested in anything German and - sadly - not many young ones are interested in that part of history today.
Thank you very much for your reply. I assume then that Wilhelm Schiller & Son also made non-terracotta and -majolica style pieces? (From what I could gather from my brief online search, those are the styles most commonly associated with the company, and the above planter does not seem to conform to either.)
terracotta and majolica are materials, not styles. there was a third widespread high-temp technique; in German Siderolith, in English ironstone. but that looks "normal" majolica with probably a second lower-grade firing after having received additional painting.
@crowleys do you know a site that follows the US or English classifation for ceramics ? might be better for ebbakah and others because the classifications do differ in French and German. e.g. the French use Faïence for terracotta etc..
Fid, I can only tell you what I use to describe these terms since there are no clear cut classifications. Because ceramics now includes modern applications from countertops to space ships, I find the term "pottery" to be more useful: earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain. Sorry I can't be of more help.
Don't know if this helps but here is a pair of vases similar to your planter. Looks like they might be from the same line. They were identified as majolica. https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/96589890_pr-of-late-19thc-small-majolica-vases