Description

History of the Rosenthal factory

Philipp Rosenthal (1855-1937) began business in Germany in 1884. Initially he purchased white ware from the company Hutschenreuther which was resold door to door after being hand-painted by his wife Maria. In 1891, he established a factory in Asch, Bohemia and began production of his own white ware.

Into the twentieth century and a  more affluent Germany emerged with improved living conditions and a disposable income appeared. Rosenthal spotted the unfilled market and started mass scale production of porcelain aimed at the newly emerging market. In only two generations the family firm expanded into a world class player. With a vision for modern art, freelance artists were employed and the interior decoration business began. In 1910 the art department at Selb was founded employing designers such as Himmelstoss, Karner, Oppel, Holzer-Defanti, Liebermann, Cassmann and many others. The same year the factory won the gold medal for it’s quality porcelain at the world fair Paris. Over the decades other factories were acquired in ceramics, glass, utensils and furniture. It’s top quality porcelain is still admired today for the way they captured their subjects movement, form and liveliness.

Fritz Diller ( 1876 – 1946 )

Diller was born in Gerhausen, but eventually settled himself in the city of Munich. A talented freelance artist, he worked throughout his life for such great design companies such as Porzellanfabrik Metzler & Ortloff, Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik (WMF), Rosenthal and Hutschenreuther. He worked mostly in metal, but some of his ceramic designs of animals were very successful. His son, Helmut, followed in his father’s footsteps and became a respectable sculptor in his own right.