Bidspirit auction | A Pair of Large Brothers

A Pair of Large Brothers Urbach Teplitz Austrian Majolica Portrait Busts - This is a matched pair of large ceramic portrait busts manufactured by Brothers Urbach in Teplitz, Austria. The figures are modeled in late 18th-century French Rococo attire, specifically the styles of the Incroyables and Merveilleuses. The male figure wears a bicorne hat with a striped ribbon bow, a high ruff collar, and a patterned waistcoat under an open jacket. The female figure is depicted in a wide-brimmed frilled bonnet with a ribbon and a ruffled bodice with large puffed sleeves. Both busts are mounted on integral, ornate rocaille-style bases with scrolled feet and floral accents. The pieces are finished with a polychrome lead glaze showing a high-gloss surface. The undersides feature impressed marks: the female bust is marked 5410 AUSTRIA and the male bust is marked 5411 AUSTRIA with an additional impressed number 2. Height: 15.5 inches. The pair exhibits wear and damage consistent with age. The male figure has a significant chip to the edge of the left jacket cuff and small flea-bite chips to the edges of the ruff collar. The female figure shows small chips to the ruffled edges of the puffed sleeves and the bonnet. Both pieces display extensive fine glaze crazing throughout. Minor surface grime and shelf wear are present on the unglazed foot rims.