Selfish Service In Enamelled Sandstone From Thun In Switzerland, 19th Century

Rare selfish service in enamelled sandstone from Thun in Switzerland 19th time Very rare color in various palettes of blue Signature on the back of Johann Wanzenried (1847-1895) which corresponds to the first brand of the factory Decor of Alpine flowers in royal blue on a background very soft cream and sky blue Service consisting of: 1 large tray d: 31 cm with finely executed and enamelled flowers with red heart 1 gadrooned teapot with worked handle underlined with dotted lines and flower-shaped handle h: 18 cm 1 gadroon-shaped sugar bowl with worked handle underlined with dotted lines and flower-shaped grip h: 12 cm 1 milk jug with the same decoration (1 little wear) h: 8 cm 1 gadroon-shaped cup with worked handle d: 7 cm 1 saucer with the same decoration d: 12.5 cm Very rare model in terms of its color, shape and signature Biography: Johannes, father, inherited the enamelling and glazing workshop from his father-in-law very early in Thun. After the death of his first wife in 1840, he remarried and his second wife was the daughter of the potter Christian Wyttenbach. They had a son, named Johann Wanzenried, who was born in 1847. He was accepted at the Polytechnic School of Zurich and did well in the first three years, but an illness forced him to stop his studies. This illness, from which he was to suffer for the next 26 years and until his death, produced a deterioration in his mental faculties. A possible cause may well have been the use of lead powders in the enamels they used in this area. At the same time, his father, Johannes, wanted to retire and transferred the workshops and factory to his son in 1868. Johann became responsible for the family business. He married Maria Luisa née Ingold in 1873. He began to expand the workshop into a full ceramics factory. From 1892 Johann was placed in an asylum, where he died on December 16, 1895. In 1912 his wife decided to sell the business to a Bernese merchant, Emil Lengacher.