Paul Scheurich: Sculptor of Movement, Form, and Porcelain
The name of Paul Scheurich (1883–1945) stands among those rare artists who succeeded in combining graphics, theater, and porcelain into a single art form. His works for the Meissen manufactory (Meissen) and KPM Berlin are not just decorative figurines but scenes frozen in a moment of inspiration. Each holds the breath of an era—from Diaghilev’s "Russian Seasons" to Biedermeier aesthetics, from ancient myths to theater and opera.
 
The Hunter, Huntress, and Lyre
Three models by Paul Scheurich were made at the Schwarzburg porcelain workshop under Max Adolf Pfeiffer’s direction: the huntress, the hunter, and the figurine of a lady with a lyre. The huntress, created in 1912, became Scheurich’s first model executed in porcelain. Initially, he commissioned a trial model at the Berlin manufactory KPM at his own expense, but due to lack of interest, it was acquired by Pfeiffer.
 
From Graphics to Porcelain: Beginning of Cooperation with Meissen
Scheurich’s collaboration with Meissen began in 1918 when Max Adolf Pfeiffer, the new director of the manufactory, signed a contract obliging the artist to provide all his models and sketches first to Meissen. Scheurich received the right to cast individual bronze specimens and a percentage of sales. This marked the beginning of one of the brightest and most fruitful unions in European porcelain history.
 
KPM — Daphne and Apollo
At the Autumn exhibition of the Berlin Secession in 1917, Scheurich presented three plaster models, including Apollo and Daphne. Meissen declined to purchase them, and in 1918 the figurines were acquired by the Berlin manufactory KPM. The first porcelain specimens were made in February 1918 and are still in production.
 
Paul Scheurich and His Works for the Meissen Manufactory
 
Russian Ballet
The earliest models by Paul Scheurich for the Meissen porcelain manufactory were inspired by characters from the ballet "Carnaval," which was repeatedly performed in Berlin from 1910 to 1912 by the legendary "Russian season" of Sergei Diaghilev. Diaghilev’s troupe sparked a wave of cultural interest across Europe in the early 1910s, collaborating with some of the most influential figures in music and modern art over the next two decades, including Ravel, Debussy, Strauss, Picasso, and Braque.
 
Carnaval was originally staged by Mikhail Fokine for a charity ball in Saint Petersburg in 1910 to the eponymous piano music by Robert Schumann. The ballet’s success prompted Diaghilev to bring the "Russian season" to Paris, and the stop in Berlin on May 24, 1910, was their first performance in the city. Although this initial visit was brief, their return in January 1912 was met with universal acclaim. On the opening day, January 8, 1912, the newspaper Berliner Tagesblatt published an interview with Diaghilev on the front page, and the next day an enthusiastic review: "Friends and connoisseurs of dance art had a very pleasant evening yesterday..."
 
Given his deep interest in theater and music, it is very likely that Scheurich attended one of the famous "Russian Ballet" performances in 1912. That same year, together with Berlin publisher Fritz Gurlitt, he released a collection of illustrations called "Pierrot," depicting characters from the commedia dell’arte in everyday scenes. These illustrations closely resemble the characters of the ballet "Carnaval," suggesting that the porcelain figurines were created by him not earlier but in the same year.
 
Early sketches and photographs of dancers show that Scheurich’s porcelain figurines are an accurate interpretation of ballet characters, including many original costume sketches by Léon Bakst. He gifted the models to the Meissen manufactory at the end of 1912, and in June 1913 Max Adolf Pfeiffer purchased them for production for 2500 marks. Scheurich presented his decoration proposals in January 1914, and the first finished figurines were completed the following month.
 
Fokine (Pierrot)
The Pierrot figure is close to Harlequin from the group "Harlequin and Colombina" but was created independently. In a letter to the Meissen manufactory, Scheurich wrote: “Harlequin is almost finished—I think I can send it in August.” The plaster model was sent in September 1918 and purchased by the manufactory for 1250 marks. The first porcelain version sold in November 1919. Despite the enthusiasm of director Max Adolf Pfeiffer, Pierrot was not as popular as the early ballet figurines—with around 100 pieces sold between 1919 and 1924.
 
Clocks
In early 1918 Max Adolf Pfeiffer signed a contract with Paul Scheurich, obliging the artist to provide all porcelain models primarily to Meissen. In return, Scheurich received not only payment but also a percentage of sales and the right to create bronze versions for personal use.
The clock case model, completed around 1915, was purchased by the manufactory in August 1919 for 3500 Reichsmarks. By 1920 a porcelain version was produced, painted according to Scheurich’s design. By 1931, 85 pieces were sold.
The putti supporting the dial depict a boy and a girl in mirrored poses but without strict symmetry—this gives the model liveliness.
 
Huck and Larina
Scheurich’s professional graphic background is evident in the meticulous detailing of both figures—a man and a woman in the Biedermeier style. The dandy prototype was a character from Scheurich’s illustrations for Jean Paul's novel “Doctor Katzenberger’s Journey” (1912).
The dandy model was presented to Meissen in 1916 but realized in porcelain only in 1919. At the manufactory’s request, Scheurich also created a companion figurine of a lady. Both models cost 3000 Reichsmarks, with the first painted versions ready in May 1919.
 
Lady with Moor
This model was commissioned by Nora Noemi Allatini, née Meyer Cohen (1889–1954), daughter of a Berlin banker. The plaster model was exhibited at the Autumn Exhibition of the Berlin Secession in 1917. Meissen could not purchase it due to a private commission, which was one reason for the contract with Scheurich in 1918.
In 1918 three copies were made: for Allatini, the manufactory, and Scheurich himself. The first copy is now kept at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. In 1927 Pfeiffer secured rights to produce the model by paying Allatini (then Mrs. Bobbins) 3000 Reichsmarks, half of which went to Scheurich. By 1931, 13 copies were sold.
 
Lady with Moor (group inspired by Richard Strauss's opera "Der Rosenkavalier")
Scheurich created the group in 1919 inspired by the opera. The model was delivered in August 1919 and bought for 2500 Reichsmarks.
In early 1920, Scheurich developed three color variants, the most common being coral red. The group was sold exclusively in color and was popular—227 pieces sold.
 
Venus
The plaster model of Venus was exhibited at the Berlin Secession Exhibition in 1920. Meissen purchased it on June 11, 1920, for 5000 Reichsmarks. The first figurine was sold in August 1921, and by 1931, 130 copies were sold.
 
Diana
The model "Seated Diana" was first presented at the Berlin Secession Exhibition in 1920 and soon bought by Meissen for 9000 Reichsmarks. The first sale took place in November 1921, with a total of 115 copies sold by 1931.
 
The Shepherd
Created in 1918–1919, exhibited in spring 1919 at the Berlin Academy of Arts, and bought by Meissen for 1500 Reichsmarks. The first porcelain versions appeared in 1920, with the first sale in October of the same year. Around 160 figurines were sold by 1933.
 
Ruhende (Resting Woman)
In autumn 1928, after more than five years of seclusion, Paul Scheurich reappeared in the vibrant cultural landscape of Berlin’s "Roaring Twenties." Immersed again in the city’s energy and creative ferment, he found new inspiration and artistic drive. Among his first new works was the model "Ruhende"—a graceful and subtly witty depiction of a "modern" woman, lazily reclining in a deck chair with a book carelessly left at the foot of the sofa.
Scheurich intended to leave the figurine undecorated, as noted in the sketch for another group, "The Turk and the Turk on Goats," lot 126. Meissen acquired the model in June 1929 for 3000 Reichsmarks. Although porcelain production began in 1930, the first recorded sale was only in 1936. Despite winning a prestigious Grand Prix at the 1937 World Exhibition in Paris, only eight copies reached the market by the end of 1945.
 
Turchak
After a long illness, Scheurich finally recovered in 1928 and began work on a new model that autumn. However, he only completed the "Turkish Couple on Horses" in 1930, and it was delivered to the manufactory (total purchase cost was 2800 Reichsmarks). The first porcelain piece was made that year and painted in 1931. It was later sold at the end of the year for 224 Reichsmarks. By the end of 1944, 11 copies had been released, including three white ones. This model was one of six awarded a Grand Prix by Scheurich at the 1937 World Exhibition in Paris.
Scheurich’s drawings and decoration instructions for the group remain archived at Meissen.
 
Lady with Fans
This model, along with five other works by Scheurich, won the Grand Prix at the 1937 World Exhibition in Paris. Scheurich created it in 1929, spending several weeks in Paris in June and July, where he likely observed the latest fashion trends. In 1928, women’s dresses became more fitted, with asymmetrical hems, garlands, and ruffles. Scheurich was probably inspired by Parisian fashionistas, depicting the model in an airy dress with a deep neckline and narrow straps, a waterfall of folds on the side of the skirt, and a one-shoulder corsage. In her right hand, she holds a large fan made of ostrich feathers—a very fashionable item at the time. On the cover of the magazine "Le Petit Echo de la Mode" dated May 20, 1928, there is a strikingly similar illustration that may have inspired the artist. This style of dress even crossed the ocean, with a Chanel dress illustrated in the "Indianapolis Times" on June 9, 1928 (day edition, p. 9), which wrote: "The elegant bow on the side and the bouquet on the shoulders add charm to the raspberry chiffon evening dress, distinguished by its exceptional simplicity."
In July 1929, the manufactory paid an advance of 500 Reichsmarks for the model, although Scheurich worked on several models, so the figurine was delivered to the manufactory in March 1930, with the total cost of 3800 Reichsmarks paid in subsequent months. The first porcelain figurine was made in autumn 1930, and the first copy sold in spring 1931. Scheurich originally planned to release the figurine only in white. According to royalty payment reports, nine figurines were sold by the end of 1944.
 
Petrushka
This model was inspired by another ballet, first performed by Diaghilev’s Russian Ballet in Berlin in December 1912. Although it is very likely that Scheurich attended one of these performances, the reason that prompted him to create a porcelain interpretation nearly eighteen years later, in April 1930, remains a mystery.
A preparatory sketch of the model was published in the magazine "Sport im Bild," No. 37/14 (1931). The first copy was cast in October 1930 and soon fired and painted afterward. However, for unknown reasons, this group was not included in the manufactory’s sales catalogs. Only in 1943 were sales records of three undecorated copies found. A full description of Scheurich’s ballet models can be found in Johannes Rafael’s book "Paul Scheurich: Ballet Figures" in Keramos 148, 1995, pp. 53–84.
 
Nelusko, Standing Moor with Cockatoo
This figurine depicts Nelusko from Giacomo Meyerbeer’s opera "L'Africaine" (or "Vasco de Gama"), which the composer completed shortly before his death in 1864, with the premiere held in Paris the following year. Scheurich likely completed the model by 1923, although due to Scheurich’s illness, it was only offered to the manufactory by his wife in July 1924. Initially, Max Adolf Pfeiffer assured Käte Scheurich that the model would be kept until her husband’s recovery. However, due to Scheurich’s prolonged illness, the figurine was produced in white from 1926, though it was not put up for sale until late 1927. The first colored copy was sold in October 1929, though it is unknown whether Scheurich provided a decoration scheme after recovering from illness at the end of 1928 or the manufactory developed its own color solutions. By 1933, only five copies were sold, and by 1945 another three.
This figurine depicts Nelusko from Meyerbeer’s opera "L’Africaine." The model was offered to the manufactory by Scheurich’s wife in 1924 during his illness. Production began in 1926. The first colored versions appeared in 1929; by 1945, only eight figurines were sold.
 
Spanish Woman and Guitarist
The dancer figurine was made in 1931, acquired by the manufactory the same year for 1779.70 Reichsmarks, and delivered in July. The accompanying figurine was likely made on commission from the manufactory and delivered in April 1932 at a purchase price of 1500 Reichsmarks; the models were reworked by Scheurich in Meissen in June 1932. Due to unfavorable economic conditions, the manufactory operated at reduced capacity, so the first porcelain samples were completed in early 1933. Max Adolf Pfeiffer’s forced departure from the manufactory in 1933 strained relations with Scheurich, who did not respond to multiple requests to develop color designs for both figurines; he only did so after Wolfgang Müller von Bachko was appointed director in 1937.
 
Turkish Couple
After illness, Scheurich returned to work in 1928 and completed the "Turkish Couple on Horses" model in 1930. Meissen purchased it for 2800 Reichsmarks. The first piece was painted in 1931, with 11 copies produced by 1944. This model received the Grand Prix at the 1937 World Exhibition in Paris.
 
Diana Clock
Paul Scheurich completed the model along with a matching pedestal in early 1932 and delivered it to the manufactory mid-year for 1800 Reichsmarks. Although he intended to make further improvements, he postponed this until October 1935 due to deteriorating relations with the manufactory. In November 1936, eight copies were made: two in white and six prepared for painting. By spring 1937, Scheurich finalized the color scheme.
 
Masked Dancer
Jacques Callot’s engravings were a source of inspiration for the Meissen manufactory in the early 18th century. Paul Scheurich was also fascinated by Callot’s sculptural and artistic merits, as well as costumes that inspired not only several of his porcelain figurines but also costume sketches for the staging of Jacques Offenbach’s opera "The Tales of Hoffmann" at the Berlin’s Great Dramatic Theatre in 1932.
The model of this figurine was completed by the end of 1931 and acquired by the Meissen manufactory for 1500 Reichsmarks the following year. It was first made in porcelain in 1933, but after Max Adolf Pfeiffer’s departure from Meissen, Scheurich ignored requests to develop color designs until Wolfgang Müller von Bachko was appointed director in 1937. A painted copy was exhibited at the Hetjens Museum in 1938, but only one sale was recorded during Scheurich’s lifetime in 1944.
 
Falling from the Horse
The model was completed in 1932 and delivered to Meissen in April 1933 for 2500 Reichsmarks. Production was temporarily halted due to "decency concerns" but resumed in 1937 after Müller von Bachko’s appointment as director. The group won a Grand Prix in Paris in 1937. By 1945, 17 copies were produced.
 
Amazon
The manufactory began paying Scheurich for the model in installments in 1930 while it was still in development. After a period of waning interest, in spring 1931 he exhibited an unfinished plaster version and convinced the manufactory to raise the payment to 2900 Reichsmarks. The finished model was delivered in February 1932, although porcelain production began only in early 1933. Shortly thereafter, Pfeiffer left the manufactory, and Scheurich refused Meissen’s request to develop a color scheme, insisting the model be made purely white. Consequently, the already produced white pieces remained on shelves for several more years.
Under Müller von Bachko’s leadership, Scheurich eventually reconciled with the manufactory, and "Amazon" was presented at the 1937 World Exhibition in Paris, where the group was awarded the Grand Prix along with five other works by the artist (Ruhende, Turchak, Falling from the Horse, Lady with Fans, and Lady with Doe). Despite this recognition and subsequent exhibitions, the model did not gain wide popularity, with only eleven copies released by 1945. After the war, the group was sold with decoration.
 
Europe and the Bull
Work on the group began no later than 1930, but due to other projects, the model was delivered to Meissen only in March 1932. Scheurich received 3200 Reichsmarks for it. Porcelain production started in 1934, and by 1940 dealers had only three copies.
 
Lady with Bow KPM
Scheurich first offered this model to the Meissen manufactory in October 1936 as a replacement for the group "Falling Horsewoman" (lot 146), rejected for "decency reasons" by the Saxon Ministry of Economy, and to create a pair with the group "Sitting Lady with Doe." After Wolfgang Müller von Bachko became director of the Meissen manufactory in 1936, he managed to acquire new models from Scheurich and replaced the plaster model of this group with a rearing horse model (lot 142).
In 1938, Scheurich exhibited the restored plaster model at the Association of Berlin Artists. Max Adolf Pfeiffer, newly appointed director of KPM Berlin, quickly purchased the model: it was registered at the manufactory in June 1939, the first porcelain copy was produced in 1940, and it won a Grand Prix at the Triennale in Milan the same year.
 
Mounted Rider Hutschenreuther
The model was likely created by Scheurich in 1936; in a humorous drawing in a friend’s guestbook from February 1937, Scheurich portrayed himself as a cuirassier on horseback. The manufactory purchased the model early in 1937; from May it began porcelain production, and several copies were sold that year. The following year, it was exhibited, among others, in the Hetjens Museum, and by 1956, 31 sales were registered.
Another copy was in Professor J. Rafael’s collection and was sold in those halls on April 14, 2022, lot 116.
 
Birth of Beauty (Geburt der Schönheit) — Large Table Centerpiece for KPM
In the late 1930s and early 1940s, Paul Scheurich designed a monumental table centerpiece for the Berlin KPM manufactory under the general theme "Birth of Beauty"—an ensemble inspired by the ancient legend of Venus's birth. The composition was designed as a modular set: tritons, nereids, putti on dolphins, seated nymphs, and groups with sea creatures form a "sea scene" divided into separate porcelain figures, intended for a luxurious dining composition.
 
Sculptural Composition "Birth of Beauty": From 1940 to 1942, Professor Paul Scheurich created for the Royal Porcelain Manufactory (Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur - KPM Berlin) a sculptural composition consisting of 18 separate items. The idea is based on the myth of Aphrodite Anadyomene (ancient Greek Αφροδίτη Αναδυομένη, "rising from the sea")—an epithet of the goddess Aphrodite, born from the sea foam and emerging onto land. According to the architect’s design, the central figure, which unfortunately was never created, was Aphrodite rising from the sea, with Tritons and Nereids (Greek sea gods) bringing precious sea gifts of pearls and corals.
 
The table composition "Birth of Beauty"
Scheurich’s last work in porcelain remained unfinished due to illness in 1940, but it testifies to his artistic talent and imagination, as well as enthusiasm and ambition toward the material. The table composition "Birth of Beauty" [probably not Scheurich’s title] was created at the request of German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop to order a service with a central element for the newly created Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Max Adolf Pfeiffer, who became director of the Berlin manufactory in November 1938, commissioned the design of the service to Trude Petri, and the composition to Paul Scheurich.
 
Scheurich ignored the proposed theme of German myths and sagas and instead created sketches depicting sea creatures and gods from Greek mythology. Pfeiffer showed the sketches to Anneliese von Ribbentrop, an enthusiastic admirer of Scheurich’s work who significantly influenced her husband; she ordered the work despite its complete difference from the original idea. From April to early October 1940, the Berlin manufactory’s model catalog featured 16 models for the central composition, and in April 1942, two more. In June 1941, Pfeiffer published nine groups without naming the customer, though he compared its significance to famous Meissen porcelain commissions by Count Brühl and Frederick the Great. In March 1942, renowned porcelain expert Ludwig Schnorr von Carolsfeld published an article on the central composition, noting that "on the whole it represents passionate reverence for the perfect beauty of the female form."
 
Scheurich’s illness in 1940 led to the central part of the table being left unfinished, including the tall (about 70 cm) figure of Venus, standing on a rocky base with putti, which was to be the central figure of the middle group (known only from Scheurich’s design sketch in the manufactory archives), as well as a second group of Neptune, which was to be a pendant to Venus, with even fewer surviving traces. Johannes Rafael listed 18 different Scheurich models, most known from post-war porcelain samples, several only from archival references and sketches. Figures and groups from "Birth of Beauty" were only released for sale after World War II; models were returned to the Berlin manufactory only in 1955, and Emil Paul Börner, who worked with Scheurich at Meissen before the war, was entrusted with their restoration.
 
Very little evidence remains on how Scheurich intended to arrange the figures and groups; he did not manage to complete two planned main groups due to illness, so Pfeiffer had to come up with a composition himself from already existing figures and groups. Pfeiffer better than anyone understood the combination of tradition and modern artistic vision in Scheurich’s last major project:
 
"In an unimaginably short time, Scheurich created the entire series. It was a work of stunningly ambitious character, a manifestation of the most mature abilities only made possible by the highest craftsmanship [...] If the entire [central part] had been presented to the world, it would prove that this is the greatest work of art created by the art of porcelain in Germany over the last 150 years."
 
Important: The "Birth of Beauty" project was used even after the war—catalogs include pieces produced by KPM in the 1940s-1950s; archives and recent auctions feature individual set elements (e.g., Triton in the waves).
Incomplete set / central statuette. It is noted that most surviving sets lack the "main" central figure (central Venus), and sets often exist only partially (13 out of 15 figurines). Studies and publications exist on the concept, orders, and realizations of this large project, emphasizing the set was realized in parts and various variants, and the "main" central statuette was either not serially produced or did not survive in wide circulation.
 
Figurine "Tide" — Note
Some private publications and oral sources circulate the claim that Scheurich has a separate figurine called "Surf" and that he depicted himself in it.
 
Legacy of the Master
The works of Paul Scheurich are poetry in porcelain.
He did not just depict a person; he created a world of form and light where gesture, gaze, and curve of line become a narrative.
From his "Lady with Moor" to "Europe and the Bull"—all these are scenes of one great spectacle where the artist remains the director of beauty.
 
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