Alka Kunst | Dresden Lace Flamenco Dancer 'Carmen' | Model 6132/1 | Hand-Painted Porcelain | Germany, Mid-20th Century
Lace burns away in a kiln; dipped first in porcelain, it leaves its likeness behind.
Alka was the name taken by the Bavarian porcelain firm of Alboth & Kaiser after the death of Ernst Alboth in 1927. The firm worked at Kronach, moved to Staffelstein in 1956, and continued from 1970 as Kaiser-Porzellan. Like several German makers of the period, Alka produced figures decorated in the Dresden lace manner: real lace was dipped in liquid porcelain and arranged on the figure, and in the firing the fabric burned away, leaving a fine, rigid porcelain lace in its place. This figure, named 'Carmen' on the base, is one of Alka's Spanish dancers. It was probably made between about 1938 and 1956, based on the recorded period of use of its 'Dresden Dec.' mark.
She is caught mid-turn, her right arm raised above her head and her left held low, a brown castanet in each hand. Her dark hair is drawn up beneath a tall gilded comb and dressed with a red rose on a gold bow. She wears gold hoop earrings, a gold-beaded necklace with a small cross, and gilded bangles at both wrists. Her magenta bodice is crossed by a pale turquoise neckerchief-style panel dotted in brown and gold, with a fringed end falling at her waist. The full, tiered skirt is made of white porcelain lace, each tier edged with black lace touched with gold and tinted grey-blue beneath, over a frilled white petticoat. A gilded slipper shows beneath the hem. She stands on an oval base picked out with gilt lines and scrolls, which still carries its original red and silver 'Dresden Art' foil label.
The underside is marked in underglaze blue with a crown over "alka" and "Dresden Dec.", with "Carmen" in gold script, an indistinct gold mark beneath it and the impressed model number 6132/1.
The figure is in good condition. The tip of the little finger on the raised hand is missing, and there is a small area of loss to the lowest tier of lace at the front. The rest of the lace, the painting and the gilding are intact.
Key Details
- Maker: Alka Kunst (Alboth & Kaiser), Bavaria, Germany
- Subject: Flamenco dancer with castanets, 'Carmen'
- Model: 6132/1
- Material: Hand-painted porcelain with Dresden lace and gilding
- Marks: Crown over "alka", "Dresden Dec." in underglaze blue; "Carmen" in gold script with an indistinct gold mark; impressed 6132/1; original 'Dresden Art' foil label
- Height: 17cm
- Weight: 293g
- Condition: Good — tip of the little finger on the raised hand missing; small loss to the lowest tier of lace at the front
Collector Appeal
Dresden lace figures depend on the survival of their lace, which is as fragile as it looks, and a dancer with her tiered lace skirt largely intact is a good example of the technique. 'Carmen' combines that lacework with careful painting of the face, the bodice and the gilded jewellery, and keeps both its factory mark and its original foil label.
In flamenco the turn of a skirt lasts a heartbeat; here it has been held in fired lace for generations.
