Selfish service in enamelled sandstone from Thun in Switzerland, 19th century

Rare selfish service in enamelled sandstone from Thun in Switzerland, 19th century
Very rare color in various blue palettes
Signature on the back of Johann Wanzenried (1847-1895) which corresponds to the first brand of the factory
Decor of royal blue Alpine flowers on a very soft cream and sky blue background
Service consisting of:
1 large tray d: 31 cm with finely executed and enamelled flowers with the heart in red
1 gadrooned teapot with worked handle underlined with dotted lines and flower-shaped grip h: 18 cm
1 gadrooned sugar bowl with worked handle underlined with dotted lines and flower-shaped grip h: 12 cm
1 milk jug with the same decor (1 small wear) h: 8 cm
1 gadrooned cup with worked handle d: 7 cm
1 saucer with the same decoration d: 12.5 cm
Very rare model by its color its shape and its signature
Biography :
Johannes Sr. inherited his father-in-law's enamelling and glazing workshop in Thun at an early age. After the death of his first wife in 1840, he remarried and his second wife was the daughter of the potter Christian Wyttenbach. They had a son, named Johann Wanzenried, who was born in 1847. He was accepted at the Polytechnic School of Zurich and did well in the first three years, but an illness forced him to stop his studies. This illness, from which he was to suffer for the next 26 years and until his death, produced a deterioration in his mental faculties. One possible cause may well have been the use of lead powders in the enamels they used in this area. At the same time, his father, Johannes, wanted to retire and transferred the workshops and factory to his son in 1868. Johann became responsible for the family business. He married Maria Luisa née Ingold in 1873. He began to expand the workshop into a full ceramics factory. From 1892 Johann was placed in an asylum, where he died on December 16, 1895. In 1912 his wife decided to sell the business to a Bernese merchant, Emil Lengacher.

Ref: WQEI4NP91V