A rare Berlin KPM porcelain vase with a depiction of the homage to Friedrich Wilhelm IV
Model no. 1617. Fired in two parts and screw-mounted. Painted with an atmospheric nocturnal scene of the Berlin State Opera with St. Hedwig's Cathedral in the background on the display side and the Prussian coat-of-arms of Berlin in a gilt rocaille surround with the black Prussia eagle, the red Brandenburg eagle and the Berlin bear on the reverse. The base inscribed in black on one side “Zur Erinnerung an das Huldigungs-Festmahl der Stadt Berlin 17. October 1840“. H 46 cm.
C. 1840.
After the death of Prussian King Frederick William III (1770 - 1840) on 7th June 1840, his eldest son ascended the throne as Frederick William IV. In October 1840, the traditional homage to the new king by the people and the representatives of the Prussian provinces took place.
This vase depicts an evening dinner held on occasion of this. The backdrop is the Prussian State Opera House on Unter den Linden, captured prior to the great fire of 1843 and the resulting structural changes to the building, with Hedwig's Church in the background on the left. Both buildings are brightly lit with torches against a dusky evening sky. The cross of St. Hedwigs Church shines out clearly from the painting. A stage has been erected on the left side of the opera house and we see carriages and people streaming towards it.
The large arms of alliance of the city of Berlin and the Prussian royal house follows the design of 1709, which was created at the behest of Frederick I on the occasion of the unification of the cities of Berlin, Cölln, Friedrichswerder, Dorotheenstadt and Friedrichstadt to form the Royal Capital and Residence City of Berlin. The corrected coat of arms of 1839 apparently did not please the commissioner, which is why the earlier coat of arms was chosen.
The design upon which the depiction was based has not yet been identified. The well-known painting by Franz Krüger, completed only in 1844, showing the homage held during the king's accession to the throne on 15th October in front of the Berlin Palace (now owned by the SPSG Berlin-Brandenburg) depicts a different location and another incident, although in the same context. The present vase can therefore be considered to be a unique, singular creation that may have been given to the king as a memento.
Provenance
In private ownership in Berlin for over 100 years.