Klimt – Espresso Set – Adele Bloch-Bauer I (1907)

A detail of the Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I” (1907) by Klimt is illustrated on the surface of this soft-paste porcelain Demitasse with saucer.

It took three years to Klimt to complete the first of two of Adele Bloch-Bauer (1881-1925), a refined art-loving Viennese salon lady, a patron and close friend of the artist. The picture was painted in Vienna, where the artist lived and worked, and commissioned by Adele’s husband Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, a wealthy industrialist. She was the only model ever painted twice by Gustav Klimt. The original oil and gold on canvas has been referred to as the final and most fully representative work of his golden phase.

In 1938, the Nazis took possession of this portrait along with other works of art in the Bloch-Bauer family “collection (including Adele Bloch-Bauer II, 1912). In 2006, after years of legal negotiations, the works were returned to the Bloch-Bauer heirs and subsequently sold to other collections. The portrait of the “Woman in Gold” is now in the collection of the Neue Galerie, New York

Gustav Klimt was an Austrian symbolist painter who was considered to be particularly controversial during his time. Klimt “main subject in his work was the female body. He became known for the highly decorative style and erotic nature of his works, which were seen as a rebellion against the traditional academic art of his time. Klimt was a prominent member of an innovating group of artists called “˜Sezession’ and is considered to be one of the main pioneers of modern art. Apart from this, his ornamental Jugendstil style evokes an irresistible feeling which is inspired by the “˜fin-de-siecle’ of 19th century Vienna: elitist, liberal middle class, decadent, pleasantly-decorative. Klimt Combined monumental style with Byzantine-like ornamental art and classical symbolism, created against the background of romanticism which was so characteristic of his time. His work was criticized for being too sensual and erotic, although they’ve proven today to be some of the most memorable paintings to ever emerge from the Vienna Secession movement. Klimt “Golden Phase” is quite possibly his most widely recognized period of art. This period emerged following positive reactions to his work and subsequent financial success. Many of his paintings during this time, including The Kiss, were made with gold leaf.

Size: 3.5″x 3.5″ x 2.5″

Material: Soft-paste porcelain.

Recommended to clean by hand with a mild cleanser to preserve the brilliant colors and gold decor.