German porcelain lidded trinket box

1 porcelain lidded trinket box in two pieces, manufactured in the shape of six small children all laying in the one bed. Germany, c1885. Part of the Children's Literature Research Collection.

Thuringia is a region of Germany which once boasted a prolific output of everyday ornamental porcelain items.

The maker’s mark on this porcelain has been identified as that of Ernst Bohne (later, & Sons), a company established in 1848 in the Thuringian town of Rudolstadt. The anchor-shaped mark in blue enamel was used by the Bohne facility from 1854 until 1901, after which the mark changed to a five-jewelled Eastern crown above the letter ‘N’ (See page 202 of Handbook of Pottery and Porcelain Marks, Cushion and Honey, 1965).

Ernst Bohne & Sons was most associated with the production of grotesque beer steins in well-known figures such as classical composers Mozart, Wagner and Beethoven.

Small, intriguing family ornaments fall into that category of objects which cross use boundaries by being both adult trinkets and children’s playthings, then retained as artefacts of childhood. This one is an excellent example as it is damaged on the left side, indicative of it having been dropped, perhaps by a small, interested party.

Permission to use this item for any purpose, including publishing, is not required from the State Library under these conditions of use.

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