The porcelain sculptures depicting people (human figures) were the area in which the Cybis studio typically bested not only their cross-town rival, Boehm, but the other USA studios as well. A case can be made for Ispanky but, after all: Laszlo Ispanky was at the Cybis studio before he decided to launch his own. In…
Almost all of the porcelains shown in this second part of my Cybis retrospective date from 1960 and later. These all have the ‘look’ that most people associate with items from Cybis, Boehm, Ispanky, and the host of other studio names that populated the burgeoning 1960s-1980s art porcelain collector market. Cybis Birds (1950s through the…
The two largest art porcelain studios operating in the USA – both in Trenton, NJ, and both now defunct – were Cybis and Boehm. I’ve already profiled Boehm’s satellite studio (Boehm of Malvern) in this Lost Porcelain Studios series, and will be doing likewise for ‘Trenton Boehm’ later this year. I hadn’t originally planned to…
The spirited writer/socialite/artist Fleur Cowles, who died in 2009 at the venerable age of 101, designed several sculptures for Connoisseur of Malvern as well as for several other noted British firms such as Denby and Border Fine Arts. An American (a Brooklynite, her name was actually Florence Friedman) by birth, she combined her experience as…
One of the lesser-known design genres from Connoisseur of Malvern was their human studies. Both Richard Sefton and Robert Russell created incredibly realistic porcelain portraits based on dance, literature, and international cultures. Bugaku stands 20” tall on his cherry wood base and was a limited edition of 25 issued in 1983, designed by Richard Sefton.…
There really is only one name associated with the equine sculptures by Connoisseur of Malvern, and that is Richard Sefton. In particular his horse-and-rider sculptures truly capture the essence of the partnership between rider and steed. Originally an architect and builder, Mr. Sefton became a sculptor in the mid-1970s and launched a successful artistic career…
Although we’ve already examined many of the felines and birds that were produced so beautifully by Connoisseur, there are yet more animals to explore. They range in habitat from the wilds of Africa, to the ice floes of the Arctic, to a cozy corner of a typical home. They are arranged here in chronological order…
Although designer Christopher Ashenden is perhaps most well-known for his Connoisseur of Malvern bird sculptures, he created quite a number of wonderfully detailed felines and other animals as well. Almost all of them were limited editions. Even though some of the limited-edition examples shown below do not have wood bases, most originally did come with…
The Chatsworth Lady 