Handle for a cane, porcelain painted in enamels and gilt, German, possibly modelled by Konrad Linck and made at Frankenthal Porcelain Factory, Germany, ca. 1762-1765.

Cane handle of porcelain, shaped as the head of a bearded man wearing a high curved helmet, relief-moulded with rococo scrolls. The face naturalistically coloured, the reliefs in purple and gold.

A cane handle of the same model, probably with later enamelling, was sold at Sotheby's in the Evill/Frost sale, 16th June 2011, lot 348, described as German, circa 1760.

For information on the Frankenthal factory in English, see Pauls-Eisenbeiss, Dr. Erika. German Porcelain of the 18th century, Barrie and Jenkins, London, 1972, ISBN 0 214 65346 3, Vol II, part III Frankenthal, pp.89-209.

The Frankenthal factory was established by Paul Anton Hannong (1700-1760) of Strasbourg in 1755. Today in south-western Germany, at that time the area was ruled from Mannheim by the Elector, Carl Theodor of the House of Wittelsbach. Hannong returned to work in Alsace, leaving the new factory to be run by other members of his family. The prospects for the success of the factory were good as during the Seven Years' War the Meissen factory in Saxony was occupied by Prussian troops and many workers fled. Hannong's grandson, the young Joseph Adam Hannong failed nevertheless to make a financial success of the factory and in 1762 he was forced to sell the it to the Elector. A great patron of the arts, the Elector took a great interest in the factory and the appearance of the factory's products changed around this time. Paler colours and a lighter rococo feel to the porcelain are features of this new period under princely ownership.

In 1762 Konrad Linck (1730-1793), a sculptor from the Vienna Academy who was born in Speyer was invited by the Elector to come to Frankenthal and in 1763 was given title of 'court sculptor'. From 1762 to 1766 Linck was employed exclusively on the design of porcelain models, although his true métier was sculpture in stone. Although he returned to working in stone after 1766, he continued to supply some models to the porcelain factory until about 1778. In 1777 Maximilian III, Joseph of Bavaria died in 1777 and as his heir, Carl Theodor, had to move his court to Munich. As a result, the prosperity of Mannheim and the surrounding area suffered, including the fortunes of the porcelain factory, whose heyday was at an end.

In addition to Linck, several notable modellers worked at Frankenthal: Johann Wilhlm Lanz who came from Strasbourg and worked in the early Hannong period until about 1761; the Lück brothers, Johann Friedrich Lück (1727-1797) and Karl Gottlieb Lück (died in 1775); Adam Bauer who was chief modeller from 1775-1778, and Simon Feilner who was active from 1770-1798 and became Director of the factory in 1775.

Attribution to Linck at Frankenthal from the manuscript catalogue of the Museum's collection of Meissen compiled by William Hutton of the Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio.

Porcelain accessories were fashionable in the mid 18th century and reflected the taste and discernment of their owners. They were often given as gifts or love-tokens. All the major porcelain factories made cane handles, which can be found today in various shapes and sizes. Heads, men's, women's or animals', were popular motifs. The modeller here has extended the shape of this martial character's helmet into a fanciful shape, which makes it more practical to use as a cane handle.

It is not known for certain where this finely modelled cane head was made. When it was acquired in 1872 it was thought to have been made by the Meissen factory, although more recently it has been attributed to the sculptor Konrad Linck at Frankenthal. The Frankenthal factory was established by Paul Anton Hannong (1700-60) of Strasbourg in 1755. Today in south-western Germany, the area was at the time ruled from Mannheim by the Elector, Carl Theodor of the House of Wittelsbach. Hannong returned to work in Alsace, leaving the new factory to be run by other members of his family. The prospects for success were good, as during the Seven Years War the famous Meissen factory in Saxony was occupied by Prussian troops and many workers had fled. Hannong's grandson, the young Joseph Adam Hannong, was in charge at Frankenthal but was unable to make a financial success of it, and in 1762 he was forced to sell to the Elector. An active patron of the arts, Carl Theodor took a great interest in the factory, and the appearance of its products changed around this time in keeping with the taste of its wealthy aristocratic owner. Paler colours and a lighter rococo feel to the porcelain are features of this new era.

In 1762 Konrad Linck (1730-1793), a sculptor from the Vienna Academy, born in Speyer, was invited by the Elector Carl Theodor to come to Frankenthal and in 1763 was given title of Court Sculptor. From 1762-1766 Linck was employed exclusively on the design of porcelain models, although his true métier was sculpture in stone. He resumed his work as a stone sculptor in 1767, but he continued to supply some models to the porcelain factory until about 1780. In 1777 Maximilian III, Joseph of Bavaria died and as his heir, Carl Theodor had to move his court to Munich. As a result, the prosperity of Mannheim and the surrounding area suffered, including the fortunes of the porcelain factory, whose heyday was at an end.

1329-1872