Of the many porcelain decorating workshops operating in Dresden in the 19th and early 20th Centuries, it was the workshop of Carl Thieme, maker of the present pair, which achieved the highest distinction in the craft.

'The Saxon porcelain manufactory of Carl Thieme in Potschappel-Dresden', as it was known before it became known simply as the Dresden Porcelain Manufactory, was the first workshop in the city to start producing its own porcelain, rather than merely decorating the unglazed wares of the nearby Meissen factory.

The Thieme factory specialised in exuberant neo-Rococo designs, such as these beautiful vases, which are both elaborately decorated with applied flowers throughout their bodies. The flowers appear in a wide range of vibrant colours, and the fine attention to detail makes them appear strikingly naturalistic.

Each vase is also decorated with a Watteau-esque scene to the front, showing female figures in a landscape, and there are further scenes depicted around the base. The vases both have removable pierced covers which are surmounted by floral bouquets, as well as removable shaped square bases. Each vase also has twin handles, with floral decorations underneath.

The vases also bear underglaze maker's marks for the Carl Thieme Porcelain Manufactory in Potschappel, Dresden.

Another, slightly larger pair of Carl Thieme vases is available for sale here.