Royal Bayreuth Bavaria Elk / Stag Porcelain Creamer, Early 20th Century

A highly charming antique Royal Bayreuth Bavaria porcelain creamer modeled as an elk or stag, produced in Germany during the early twentieth century. This expressive figural piece belongs to Royal Bayreuth’s celebrated tradition of whimsical naturalistic porcelain, a category that included animals, fruits, vegetables, shells, flowers, and other imaginative table objects. The Royal Bayreuth Collectors Club notes that the majority of figural Royal Bayreuth pieces were made and sold from approximately 1890 through the 1920s, with blue marks generally used from 1902 into the late 1920s, making an early twentieth-century date appropriate for this type of piece.

The form is especially sculptural and full of personality. The animal’s head creates the pouring spout, while the dramatic antlers rise around the open rim, turning the creamer into a miniature work of decorative porcelain. The warm brown body is shaded with naturalistic tones, and the interior is finished in a light glaze that contrasts beautifully with the exterior. The handle is integrated into the back of the form, allowing the piece to remain functional while preserving its playful animal silhouette.

Royal Bayreuth was produced in Tettau, Bavaria, a porcelain center with origins dating to the late eighteenth century, and the company became internationally admired for its novelty porcelain and figural tablewares. Comparable Royal Bayreuth elk and stag creamers are consistently cataloged as fine porcelain figural pitchers or creamers, with sculptural antler rims and warm brown hand-painted shading.

This piece works beautifully as a collectible cabinet object, breakfast table accent, small sauce pitcher, or decorative addition to a country house, hunting lodge, bar, kitchen shelf, or collection of antique Royal Bayreuth porcelain. It pairs especially well with the factory’s tomato, strawberry, lemon, lobster, shell, and other naturalistic figural wares, creating a rich and playful grouping of early twentieth-century Bavarian porcelain.

Presented in antique condition consistent with age and use, with light wear appropriate to hand-painted porcelain of this period. A delightful and collectible Royal Bayreuth Bavaria elk or stag-form creamer with wonderful sculptural detail, strong decorative presence, and unmistakable early porcelain charm.
Please note that two of the antlers are broken.

Details

• 1stDibs reference: LU10969250609032
• Period: Early 20th Century
• Date: 1900
• Origin: Germany
• Materials: Porcelain
• Techniques: Hand-Crafted
• Style: Art Nouveau
• Dimensions: H 4.2 × W 3.2 × D 5 IN
• Condition: GOOD