Q: I have a picture frame that I treasure. It was given to me by my grandmother and I’d like to know more about it. It is white porcelain with painted flowers and gold trim. The mark on the back looks like an E over an S with 1811 in the bottom curve of the S and Prufsia (is it Prussia?) below. Do you know the history from the mark? And can you give me its value?

A: The mark on your frame was used by a company founded in 1861 by Leonard Schlegelmilch (1823-1898) in Suhl, Germany, and named in memory of his father, Erdmann Schlegelmilch (1782-1844). The Schlegelmilch names and factories confused collectors for years until extensive research was done in the mid-1980s and the families and companies were sorted out. The Erdmann Schlegelmilch company made porcelain kitchenware, tableware, giftware, figurines, coffee and tea sets and for a time, containers for perfume lamps. After Leonard died, his son Julius Martin ran the business, which reached its peak in 1913. Worked declined between 1933 and 1935 and the company finally closed in 1937. Erdmann Schlegelmilch items are marked “ES Germany” or “ES Suhl.” Other pieces, like your frame, made at a factory in Saxony, Prussia, are marked “ES Prussia.” The mark on your frame has the date 1861, the founding date, not 1811. “Prufsia” is Prussia; the double “s” is in old German writing. Value of your frame, $75.

 

Leave a Reply

Featured Articles