Children in Pastoral Setting

This German porcelain inkstand, made by Conta Boehme, depicts a pastoral scene with children.

Here’s a detailed description:

• Material and Form: The inkstand is made of finely modeled and hand-painted porcelain. It features a naturalistic base, designed to simulate a grassy or rocky landscape, upon which the figural group is set.
• Pastoral Scene with Children: The focus of the inkstand is a group of children in a pastoral setting. The figures are dynamically posed, with intricate details in their clothing and expressions. Two girls are seated while the bare-footed boy is sprawled on the ground.
• Inkwell Access: The design incorporates the inkwells into the base. The upper half of the inkstand lifts to reveal two inkwells.

History of Conta Boehme

Conta & Boehme was a significant German porcelain manufacturer known for its diverse range of ceramic products, particularly its highly popular “fairings” and other decorative figures.

• Foundation and Location: The company was founded in 1790 in Pössneck, Thuringia, Germany.
• Mass Production and Popularity: Conta & Boehme developed highly effective mass production methods for porcelain, giving them a competitive edge over other firms. They produced vast quantities of porcelain wares, exporting widely to the British Isles, the United States, and other countries.
• Product Range: While famous for their “fairings” – small, often humorous or sentimental figural groups – Conta & Boehme also produced a variety of other items, including porcelain dolls (starting in 1845), trinket boxes, match strikers, nodders, vases, jardinieres, condiments, and, as seen here, inkwells.
• Decline and Closure: Although the company was still listed in German trade directories in 1937, the manufacture of fairings and similar decorative porcelain is largely believed to have stopped at the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Their operations ceased around 1931.