The AEAA is extremely proud to present this Rare 1910s antique hand painted porcelain teapot from the skilled artisans of Robert Hanke of Ledvice (German = Ladowitz) in the Teplice (German = Teplitz) region of Austria. Our superb lobed teapot is adorned with stunning African violets with tasteful gilded highlights. plus a fantastic and unique stylized water (Qui) dragon forward rolled handle. The base stamp was used from the 1890s until 1919, at which point it was replaced with the Czechoslovakian designation. This Rare Hanke treasure weighs 1# 7 oz, and measures 7.75 x 5.75 x 6.75 inches tall. Research consulted: Marks on German, Bohemian and Austrian Porcelain 1710 to the Present / by Robert Rontgen; Directory of European Porcelain / by Ludwig Danckert. xxxxxxxxxxxxxx. The history of Bohemian and Czechoslovakian pottery can be daunting, especially as the facts are often convoluted, if not downright conflicting. Here, is a concise history of the former Robert Hanke Porzellanfabrik factor of Ladowitz, Bohemia, later to become the BIHL Pottery Factory (Ledvice, Chechia). The former BIHL pottery factory was situated in Ledvice (German = Ladowitz), in the north-western part of the current Czech Republic in the years between 1896 and 1939. Ledvice is a burgh about 10 km south of Teplice (German = Teplitz) and is an industrial and cultural centre in the Podkrusnohori region, with important factories representing glass, ceramics, textile, and chemical industry. The name Teplice is derived from the Czech word TEPLY, which means hot, and is appropriate as Teplice is the oldest spa town in Bohemia. As deposits of kaolin and feldspar raw materials were discovered in Bohemia, pottery manufacturing sites sprung up around them in the 1860s, beginning with only three pottery factories in 1859. Ten years later there were already eight potteries, and in the 1880s twelve, but by the end of the 19th century, twenty were registered. Expansion finally reach saturation ca. 1905, when there were nearly thirty pottery factories in the Teplice area. One of the first pottery factories in the Teplice area was owned by Robert Hanke. This pottery factory (Tonwarenfabrik Robert Hanke), founded in 1882, was located in Ledvice and produced all kinds of luxury hand painted vases and decorative pitchers. Bohemia was at that time part of Austria. Therefore, the company was registered as Robert Hanke, Austria. In the early 1890s, Hanke production of pottery had increased so significantly that many of his fine hand decorated porcelain pieces, especially the Riessner, Stellmacher & Kessel (RSTk) / Amphora influenced vases and Ewer pitchers were exported throughout Europe and to the United States of America.In 1896 Gustav Bihl, at that time general director of the Bruxer Kohlenbergbau-Gesellschaft, took over the Tonwarenfabrik Robert Hanke. The new name of the factory was Robert Hankes Nachfolger (follower), Porzellan, Fayence, und Majolikafabrik (unter G. Bihl). In addition to the fine decorated porcelain & Fayence, the factory started to produce hard-porcelain for electro-technical applications such as isolators / insulators, earthenware kitchen pottery, vases with both over and under glaze decorations, as well as latter period Majolica. In 1906 the company was reorganized as Porzellan und Steingutfabrik G. Bihl & Co., GmbH. In 1918, at the end of World War I, the Paris Peace committee created a new country with the Bohemia, Moravia, and Austrian Silesia sections of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and a northern strip of Hungary. The committee named the new country Czecho-Slovak Republic, with a hyphen. Most of the people in these areas were the Czechs (Bohemians) and Slovaks, thus the name Czecho-Slovakia. In 1920, the name Czechoslovakia (without hyphen) was introduced. From that point on, the word Czechoslovakia appeared on pottery marks. The well-known BIHL Czechoslovakia back-stamp was introduced in this period.

Excellent condition