Limited Masterworks Scalloped Dish, Floral Flourish

Among the "queens of all flowers", the peony is of particular beauty. Each spring, it blossoms in countless forms and colours. A marvel of botany with innumerable delicate petals, it was regarded in ancient China as a symbol of royalty.

The genre of Meissen flower painting is deeply rooted in the tradition of the porcelain manufactory, where it has continually evolved and is today preserved and advanced by porcelain painters such as Michaela Hummitzsch. Here, the blossoms of these heralds of spring appear to have been scattered almost by chance across the bowl in powdery shades of red, rosé and white. Shown in different stages of bloom and arranged almost like a collage, they seem to emerge sculpturally from the surface. The bowl's distinctive relief further emphasises the natural elegance of the flowers. Half glazed and half rendered in expressive, marble-like biscuit porcelain, the bowl appears almost to float.

The bowl is an example of the finest craftsmanship and quality from the hands of freelance porcelain artist Bärbel Thoelke, whose designs are often imbued with a poetic quality. Balanced proportions, the deliberate use of colour and a kind of controlled sensitivity towards both the proven and still hidden possibilities of the material define the work of the Berlin-based artist. Combined with Hummitzsch's romantic still life, the result is a vessel of exceptional beauty that engages with Meissen's rich centuries-old heritage while translating it into a new design language.