Antique German KPM painted porcelain plaque

The porcelain plaque features a detailed painting of three women in Oriental dress. One woman wears a purple kimono with a white sash and leans, one hand on her hip, against a column. She watches and listens to a woman in a blue and white robe, playing a harp. This woman, who sits on the floor to play, is accompanied by a lady on the lute. She plucks at the instrument’s strings, and gazes out directly at the viewer. This woman wears an Eastern style white gown which covers her hair, and a fine orange necklace. White flowers bloom in the space around the women, and pink roses are scattered on the floor. They are depicted in a classical white building, within a garden setting. The porcelain plaque is displayed in a finely carved giltwood frame.

This plaque was crafted by the famous Konigliche Porzellan-Manufaktur (also called KPM, or Royal Porcelain Factory, Berlin). The factory was founded in 1763 by King Frederick II of Prussia, who was also, by his own admission, the company’s ‘best customer’. KPM produced many important pieces for royalty and the nobility in Prussia and elsewhere in Europe.

Plaque: Height 26.5cm, width 18cm
Frame: Height 36.5cm, width 28cm, depth 4.5cm