“Omphale and Loreley” large bisque groups

Large pair of beautiful bisque figures of Omphale and the nymph Loreley, two models by German scluptor Ludwig Von Schwanthaler (1802-1848). Rare on the antiques market. Great condition.

Size: H 36 and 37 cm

Attributed to the Nymphenburg manufactory, 19th century, after 1847.

Lit: Lorelei or Loreley is the “sinnende nymph” or the thinking nymph. The marble version of Ludwig von Schwanthaler is exhibited in the Bavarian National Museum, Germany.(dated 1847)

Omphale, Queen of Lydia in Greek mythology, bought Hercules as a slave. In her service, he performed a number of feats to rid her kingdom of monsters such as the Certopes and brigands such as the Itones. There are various versions of the story of Omphale and Hercules’ love affair. The most common version is that Omphale admired Hercules’ strength and exploits and made him her lover and then her husband, after freeing him from servitude. However, in Ovid, Lucian, Propertius and Seneca, Omphale forces Hercules to wear women’s clothes and spin wool, while she gives him the skin of the Nemean lion and the club. In Seneca, Omphale goes so far as to punish the hero with a blow from her slipper.

Lit: Porzellan Manufaktur Nymphenburg has been handcrafting finest porcelain for 260 years. Porcelain services, figures and objects of the greatest quality and purity have been produced at just this one location in the world – the Nördliches Schlossrondell in Nymphenburg – since the 18th century.
The history of the Porzellan Manufaktur Nymphenburg is inseparably linked with the history of the Bavarian royal house of Wittelsbach. In 1747, the Elector Max III. Joseph started the electoral porcelain manufactory in his “Green Castle” in Neudeck near Munich. Located directly on the Auer Mühlbach, the waterpower required to operate the machinery was ensured there. Initial difficulties in production and high investments without resounding success quickly waned the Elector’s interest in porcelain production. It was not until 1754, when the production of porcelain was achieved for the first time in a controlled manner, that the elector regained his enthusiasm about the “Electoral Porcelain Fabrique”. From that day on, the porcelain manufactory, which was financially and ideally supported by the Wittelsbach family, became an important prestige object of the Bavarian electorate. The manufactory moved in 1761 to the northern lane of the Nymphenburg Palace, which was built for the purpose. In the years that followed, the porcelain manufactory flourished. Under the rule of Max IV. Joseph, the Frankenthal porcelain manufactory was incorporated into Nymphenburg in 1800. Known above all for their figurative designs, the experience and artistic skills of the Frankenthal craftsmen continued to have an effect on the Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory. Bavaria had been a kingdom since 1806, and in 1815 the manufactory was named a state art institution. The fact that King Ludwig I took over his reign in 1825 gave porcelain painting a new impetus: he commissioned plates that were not used as a service, but were intended to document the most important works of art of the time. From 1888 to 1975 the Bäuml family took over the lease. (source: www.nymphenburg.com)