Alfred Stellmacher, “Amphora Dragon Vase”

Born in the small town of Steinheid, Germany, Alfred Stellmacher worked in ceramic factories in the area, mastering his craft. He founded his first porcelain factory in 1876 at Turn, Slovenia, which produced porcelain flowers. Stellmacher developed, during the 1870s, a mew ceramic material known as ivory porcelain due to its yellow shade and matte finish. This allowed the artist to develop more complex modeling and detailing of shapes.

At the Paris World Exhibition in 1889, Alfred Stellmacher received the Gold Medal for his works. He helped form a new company in 1892, known as ‘Amphora I”, a division of the Reissner, Stellmacher & Kessel porcelain factory in Turn. The company’s goal was to create luxury porcelain objects. A collection from the company received the highest award at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago and, later, the Gold Medal at the San Francisco Exhibition. Amphora I received numerous awards for its work from 1893 to 1904, at which time the main designers left to form their own separate firms.