Decorative Dish Ernst Wahlis (1836-1900) - Viennese Art Nouveau - 1880/1890

Very nice decorative dish by Ernst WAHLIS, emblematic artist of Austrian Art Nouveau, representing a woman with irises. Polychrome ceramics Diameter 33 cm Note a tiny lack of invisible docks on the edge of the dish. Listed and sought-after artist! Ernst Wahliss was an Austrian ceramist who created rich porcelain and terracotta sculptures for European elites. Also known for his small-scale sculptures, the artist often depicted Baroque-era women dressed in opulent clothing. For example, in his work Damenbüste (1837-1900), the artist sculpted a woman wearing an extravagant headdress and a silk dress. Born March 1, 1837 in Oschatz in the Kingdom of Saxony, Wahliss began his pottery career as a traveling salesman in a porcelain factory at the age of 30. He then left to found his own ceramic company and soon began exporting porcelain products across Europe. To meet the high demand for his pottery and sculpture, the artist opened his own department store, Wahliss, in downtown Vienna. Towards the end of his career, he gave up his design work to settle in the rural town of Velden, where he opened a luxury hotel. Wahliss died on July 18, 1900 in Vienna, Austria. His works can be found in the collections of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences in Sydney, the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh and the Museum of New Zealand in Wellington, among others.