PAIR OF PORCELAIN HORSES, SAMSON MANUFACTURE

porcelain horses on clouds, mounted on rocaille bases richly decorated with openwork scrolls and foliage. A firing flaw is present on the inside of one of the horses' legs. Marks of crossed swords in blue are visible under the base. This famous Samson was registered in 1927 for porcelain imitating Saxon pieces. An identical model is in the Chimchirian Collection (photo above). Circa 1930

Meissen represented for 18th-century Germany what Sèvres embodied in France at the same time: the epitome of taste. Few manufacturers were so widely copied, in terms of form, decoration, and marks. In the 19th century, numerous small workshops sprang up in the Dresden region with the intention of producing "Meissen-style" porcelain. Like Carl Thieme's workshop in Potschappel or Achille Bloch's in France, Samson extensively reproduced Meissen forms and decorations. Furthermore, between 1873 and 1927, he registered several trademarks imitating Meissen's, including various versions of the famous swords. Meissen created an impressive bestiary that greatly inspired Samson. Photographs preserved at the Sèvres factory reveal that he reproduced all sorts of animals, from the small Bolognese dog to the rhinoceros, from the horse to the elephant. The two original Meissen horses, like those of Samson, were sold individually or harnessed to the chariots of deities. The Achille Bloch company also reproduced this model.

Bibliography: Florence Slitine, "Samson, genius of imitation", Paris, Edition Charles Massin, 2002, reproduced p. 146.