Ernst Wahliss Vienna Porcelain Double Spout Ewer

This stunning double spouted 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, with no chips or cracks, and clear, bright paintwork.

Its height is 20cms, and width from spout to spout is 20cms. It is marked on the bottom with Turn EW Vienna Made in Austria - Ernst Wahliss mark.

Ernst Wahliss (1837 - 1900) was an Austrian ceramicist who created ornate porcelain and earthenware vessels for European elites. Also known for his small-scale sculptures, the artist often depicted Baroque-era women dressed in opulent clothing. For example, in his piece Damenbüste the artist sculpted a women dressed in an extravagant headpiece and a silken gown.

Born on March 1, 1837 in Oschatz in the Kingdom of Saxony, Wahliss began his pottery career as the traveling salesman for a porcelain factory at age 30. He later left to found 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 centre. 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.