Wash Set from Herrenchiemsee Palace

Wash Set – Private Bedroom, Herrenchiemsee

Designed by Brochier in 1882, the porcelain was produced by the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory, while the remaining components were made by the company Harrach & Sohn (Duss catalogue, 1888). The wooden models, which were sent to Meissen and served as templates, were modeled by Perron in 1884 (Petzet, exhibition catalogue: King Ludwig II and Art). The models cost 397 marks, and the wash set itself cost 15,400 marks, paid in 1886, as was the case with most commissions for the Meissen manufactory (Petzet, exhibition catalogue: King Ludwig II and Art).

Debts to the Meissen manufactory resulted in delayed payment, with goods delivered before payment was made. These debts are documented in a letter from the manufactory addressed to Hofmann in May 1886 (Rauch, Herrenchiemsee, p. 46). An example of such a situation was another commission to the Meissen manufactory for porcelain door panels for the Porcelain Cabinet (Rauch, Herrenchiemsee, p. 116). The fact that the wash set was produced before it was paid for suggests that production likely began as early as 1884, when Perron’s models were sent to Meissen. We do not have the exact date or month when production began, but it can be assumed that during the king’s last stay at Herrenchiemsee, from September 29 to October 10, 1885 (Merta, The King’s Stays in the Residences), the wash set was already at the palace.

The entire set can be identified based on original photographs and one plan. The wash set currently located in the bedroom actually originates from the cabinet adjacent to the bedroom (the Marie Antoinette Cabinet).

The complete set consisted of a washbasin, jug, sponge vessel, toothbrush holder, bowl for tooth powder, bowl for pomade, and soap dish.

After the king’s death, the entire set was sold at an auction held in Stuttgart in 1888 under lot number 713; the auction catalogue includes a photograph of the complete set.

The entire set was blue in color and richly gilded (Petzet, exhibition catalogue: King Ludwig II and Art).

The set had two spare services (Duss, catalogue, 1888).

Original photograph (1887?) showing the wash set, which can be clearly identified: in the center is the washbasin; at the front right is the toothbrush holder; behind it on the right is the soap dish; to the left of the soap dish is the sponge vessel; to the left of the washbasin is the jug.

Plan of part of the bedroom with the dressing table and the original wash set.

Photograph of the complete set in the catalogue by Albert Duss, in which the king’s estate was sold.

Jug

Description: It has a bronze handle in the form of an intertwined dolphin, layered with richly sculptural decoration. At the center is a monogram with an openwork crown (visible on the right side of design). The handle is elegant and of a solid, substantial form (Duss, catalogue, 1888).

The version that was ultimately produced differs slightly from original design, as only the height—51 cm—was specified for production (Petzet, exhibition catalogue: King Ludwig II and Art).

The cost was 3,900 marks (Petzet, exhibition catalogue: King Ludwig II and Art).

Design by Brochier from 1882; it differs from the executed version in its dimensions, as it specified only a height of 51 cm.

Washbasin

Description: The interior of the washbasin is decorated with richly applied gold ornamentation, tracery, and animals. It is set in a bronze frame; the feet take the form of four dolphins with raised, openwork rocaille ornamentation (Duss, catalogue, 1888).

The specified dimensions were 23 × 67 cm, with a depth of 51 cm (Petzet, exhibition catalogue: King Ludwig II and Art). Another source for the dimensions is Albert Duss’s catalogue, which lists them as 61 cm in length and 44 cm in width.

The cost was 4,500 marks (Petzet, exhibition catalogue: King Ludwig II and Art).

Design of the washbasin by Brochier, 1882.

Sponge Vessel, Toothbrush Holder, Bowl for Tooth Powder and Pomade, Soap Dish, Flacon

No descriptions of these pieces have survived.

However, the following dimensions are recorded:

  • Sponge vessel (Schwammgefäß) = height 38 cm, diameter 30.4 cm

  • Toothbrush holder (Zahnbürstenschale) = 12.5 × 37.5 cm, depth 14.5 cm

  • Soap dish (Seifenschale) = 13 × 32.5 cm, depth 14.5 cm

  • Bowl for tooth powder and pomade (Schale für Zahnpulver und Pomade) = dimensions unknown

  • Flacon = dimensions unknown

The recorded prices are as follows:

  • Sponge vessel = 3,500 marks

  • Toothbrush holder = 1,400 marks

  • Soap dish = 1,200 marks

  • Bowl for tooth powder and pomade = 900 marks

The flacon was intended for hair oil, as Perron’s invoice for this model includes the note “Model for the hair oil” (“Modell zu dem Haaröl”). The flacon was probably not produced in Meissen, as it is not listed in Wild’s invoice together with the other pieces of the wash set.


Original Wash Set?

There are several sources indicating that this particular wash set was intended for the dressing table. One is the original photographs of the small bedroom and the Marie Antoinette Cabinet. The correct placement of the toilet service is further supported by the fact that it was produced and delivered during the king’s lifetime. This is confirmed by an invoice dated June 25, 1885, issued by Wild (representative for commissions to the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory), which reads:

For the bedroom:
1 washbasin – 4,500 marks
1 ewer – 3,900 marks
1 sponge bowl – 3,500 marks
1 hand brush box – 1,400 marks
1 tooth powder box with soap holder – 950 marks
1 toothbrush holder – 1,200 marks
Total: 15,450 marks

Another source is the invoice from Philipp Perron for the production of the wooden models of the wash set for the small bedroom, which states:
“for the delivery of wooden models for the wash set in the bedroom of His Majesty in Herrenwörth, to the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory.”

Further evidence is provided by a design for part of the bedroom with a dressing table by Julius Hoffmann from 1882 (p. 3, top), in which this very wash set is depicted on the dressing table.

Additional supporting plans include the designs for the wash set for the small bedroom and for the wash cabinet. The plans for the wash set for the small bedroom date from 1882, the year in which most designs for the small bedroom were created. The plans for the wash cabinet wash set date from 1883, when most of the designs for the wash cabinet were produced.

Original photograph showing the wash set that is currently located in the small bedroom.


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