Johann Maresch

JOHANN MARESCH (Austria, 1821-1914).
Box in the form of a sculpture, ca. 1900.
Polychrome terracotta.
With marks and numbering on the back.
Measurements: 22 x 42 x 35 cm.
Sculpture in polychrome terracotta representing a woman of African features and smiling aspect that cradles a dog with her cozy arms. The piece, worked in two parts (with lid and bowl), functions as a small box.
Johann Maresch was an Austrian businessman and politician. His siderolithic pottery factory (official name Johann Maresch Thon- und Stein-gutwaren fabric in Aussig or Johann Maresch Siderolith und Terracotta Fabrik ) was located in Ústí nad Labem. The products produced here were labeled B and M, around 1863 the company changed to the JM brand. The company had extensive production and exported its goods. The ceramic dwarf produced in the Maresch company since the early 1880s has become one of the symbols of Ústí nad Labem. The original pieces from the production of this plant have been transformed today among the expensive collector's items.