I have a serving bowl, about 9 ” across at the widest part of the lip. It is marked on the reverse with a beehive looking symbol in blue and “AUSTRIA” also in blue. It has a raised and unglazed bottom rim.
In the well of the bowl is a hand painted (?) image of three women in flowing gauzy attire and with cherubs about them, against a soft white background with the palest of blue clouds upon which the women are seated. It is signed “Carl Larsen”. There are several finely traced crack marks which, while visible, cannot be felt at all so I don’t think the bowl was ever actually broken. These are in the well of the bowl but do not mar any of the faces therein painted. My question mark after describing the bowl as hand painted refers to my lack of knowledge as to whether an artist ever painted a background (the clouds) for a transfer (the women and cherubs) to be placed upon.
As the well of the bowl rises to the lip, there is a 5/8 ” band of gold above which is a 4″ field of dark emerald green with a gold lattice and foliage design. There is tiny beading both within the gold band, along both edges, and within the latticework.
I am intrigued by the artist and would appreciate learning more about him. Could he have been the painter of interiors by the same name? Further, how old would you estimate the bowl to be and of what, if any, value might it have?
The “signature” on the front is not what you believe it to be. It is the name of the artist who originally created the original oil painting which ended up as template for the transfer design on your item, but that’s it. Carl was not involved with the creation of this item and (most probably) long dead at that time … a fate he shared with many such artists, like Fragonard or Watteau.
Shown mark is one of the many generic “pseudo-Austrian” marks used on cheap mass produced items. Note that I set that in double quotes as what you describe as beehive – originally a Bindenschild – is turned upside down on your item. No genuine Austrian manufacturer would do that (the flat side is actually the top, NOT the bottom).
Dear Friedrich, Thank you so very much for the information about the bowl, its mark and the signature. I honestly do try to “learn something new every day” and you have granted me that for this day. It is very interesting to me about the mark and the signature. I bought the bowl for a dollar many years ago from the estate sale of one of the wealthier society women and an “old family” of the city where I live. I thought it was pretty (I still do) and did not think much about value since it was cracked. I did however think it had been a “nice” piece since it had belonged to this particular family. Now I wonder if she was fooled too! Again, thank you so much for your time and interest in helping others learn about their treasures, whether valuable or just pretty. Mary Charlotte