Enrico Caruso figurine, Germany, 1924.
Rosenthal Selb Bavaria
model 299, 1913
designed by Thekla Harth-Altmann
proj. from 1913, on the back on the pedestal an under-glaze signature of the designer
height 20 cm
Thekla Harth-Altmann (1886 Zentbechhof Bamberg -1968) was a German painter and designer who worked for the Rosenthal Studio from 1913-1923. During this time, she created more than a dozen designs - primarily of animals and scenic artists.
Enrico Caruso is depicted in the role of Canio, director of an itinerant acting troupe, from Ruggero Leoncavallo's 1892 opera "Pagliacci" (Pajace).
Enrico Caruso - Italian opera singer (tenor), made his debut in 1894 in Naples. His worldwide career began in 1902 with a performance in Puccini's La Bohème in Monte Carlo, and he later performed at La Scala and Covent Garden. From 1903 he was the first tenor of New York's Metropolitan Opera, also guesting on the great stages of Europe ( Rome, Milan, London, Paris, among others.) In 1901 he performed in Poland at the Warsaw Opera. In December 1920 he suffered a hemorrhage during a performance on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera in New York, was taken to Naples and died a few months later.
The history of the Rosenthal manufactory dates back to 1879 when a young Philipp Rosenthal establishes a porcelain paint shop in the Castle of Erkersreuth (near Selb, Bavaria). The spectacular growth of the factory makes it not so much a manufactory as a place for the creative development of artists able to collaborate and design for it. New currents in the art and aesthetics of the first decades of the 20th century are reflected in the details: ornaments, borders and ear finials.Rosenthal is one of the few manufactures to keep up with the rapidly emerging trends.
