Rosenthal Art Deco Pottery

Art Deco and the Kunstabteilung (Art Department)

Rosenthal's embrace of the Art Deco style was driven by its dedicated Art Department (Kunstabteilung), established to produce limited-edition art objects, figurines, and high-end decorative wares alongside its commercial dinnerware. This department allowed the company to attract and collaborate with some of the era's foremost sculptors and designers.

The Art Deco output at Rosenthal was characterized by elegant, often theatrical, figures and decorative objects that featured streamlined forms, geometric simplification, and dynamic poses. These pieces captured the spirit of the modern age—speed, jazz, dance, and international sophistication.

Leading Art Deco Designers at Rosenthal:

Rosenthal's willingness to employ contemporary artists resulted in a diverse and high-quality Art Deco collection. Key designers included:

• Gerhard Schliepstein (1886–1963): One of the most important Art Deco sculptors for Rosenthal. He is famed for his stylized, often highly dynamic dancers and figures in glamorous, flowing costumes, such as the famous 'Fencer' or 'Pantomime' figures.

• Theodor Kärner (T. Karner) (1884–1966): While he also designed realistic animal figures, his Art Deco pieces often focused on sleek, stylized animals, such as hounds and panthers, or simplified human forms.

• Fritz Glimm (Fritz Glimsch) (1875–1937): Contributed to the design of various decorative and figurative pieces in the period.

• Rudolph Marcuse (1878–1940): Known for his expressive, often sporting, and theatrical figures which fit the era's taste for modern movement.

• Ernst Wenck (1865–1929): An established sculptor whose later works adapted to the cleaner lines of the Art Deco style.

• Ferdinand Liebermann (1883–1941): Created classicizing figures that often incorporated the geometric simplification characteristic of the Art Deco style.

These artists ensured Rosenthal's figurative porcelain reflected the modern tastes sweeping through design studios across Europe.

Continuation of Artistic Tradition

Upon the founder Philip Rosenthal's death in 1937, he was succeeded by his son, Philip Rosenthal Jr. (1916–2001). Despite the upheaval of the late 1930s and World War II, the younger Philip carried on the crucial tradition of prioritizing contemporary and avant-garde design.

After the war, Rosenthal continued this forward-thinking policy, collaborating with giants of mid-century design and architecture, such as Raymond Loewy, Tapio Wirkkala, and Walter Gropius, ensuring the company remained at the forefront of modern porcelain design for decades.