Ernst Wahliss Art Nouveau Imari Ewer

This stunning, single spout porcelain ewer by the Austrian ceramicist Ernst Wahliss dates to about 1890. This Art Nouveau ewer has been hand painted using an imari pattern. The ewer is in excellent condition, given its age, with no chips or cracks, and clear, bright paintwork.

Its height is 17cms, and width from spout to handle is 19 cms. It is marked on the bottom with Turn EW Vienna Made in Austria - Ernst Wahliss mark.

Ernst Wahliss was an Austrian ceramicist who created ornate porcelain and earthenware vessels for European elites. Born on March 1, 1837 in Oschatz in the Kingdom of Saxony, Wahliss began his pottery career as the travelling salesman for a porcelain factory then at the age of 30 founded his own ceramics company, and soon began exporting porcelain goods across Europe. To meet the high demand for his pottery and sculptures, the artist opened his own department store, Wahliss, in Vienna’s city center. Near the end of his career, he abandoned his design work to move to the rural town of Velden, where he opened a luxury hotel. Wahliss died on July 18, 1900 in Vienna, Austria. His works can be found in the collections of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences in Sydney, the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, and the Museum of New Zealand in Wellington, among others.