Designed by Karl L. H. Müller (American, born Germany, 1820–1887)
Union Porcelain Works (American, 1863–c. 1922)
Greenpoint, New York
Poet's Pitcher
INV-1443
Designed by Karl L. H. Müller (American, born Germany, 1820–1887)
Union Porcelain Works (American, 1863–c. 1922)
Greenpoint, New York1875–86
pitcher (vessel)vessel
Date
1875–86
Medium
Parian porcelain and glaze with gilding
Dimensions
H.: 218 cm (8 9/16 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Purchased with funds provided by Antiquarian Society through Mary Oldberg
Union Porcelain Works was known for making doorknobs and other utilitarian objects before expanding into fine tablewares that could compete with imported products. Karl L. H. Müller, a German-born sculptor, was hired to design inventive works that went into production around the time of the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. This pitcher, which depicts six poets in profile encircling the body of the vessel, received international acclaim, as did Müller’s other designs for Union Porcelain. One account of his works on display at the Philadelphia exhibition declared them exemplary of “what can be done in art pottery on this side of the water.”
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