Candlestick - with putto

The stout child figure is supported by a round, domed foot decorated with string-of-pearl motifs, (The colourless glaze lets the whiteness of the material stand out.) Its fair-haired head is turned radically to the side, the legs spread, trying to grasp the large bunch of flowers with great effort. There are yellow and white flowers, blue bell-flowers among the green tendrils and leaves. The hole for the candle-holder is shaped in one of the bell-flowers, the round candle- ring is covered with blue glaze. In another variant of this model, the same figure holds a semicircular bowl instead of a candle-holder. Both variations are introduced by Elisabeth Frottier in her study on Michael Powolny, Wien, Köln, 1990 p.218, WV. 40 and 41. Beside hoopskirted ladies and putti were Powolny's most well-known figures. Instead of the sweet and mystical, Neorococo angels of the late 19th centuries, he turned to Baroque shapes. The movements of his massive, tectonic children’s bodies are stiff, the white bodies and the polychrome, often gilt flowers or fruits create a stressed contrast. Powolny's decorative putto figures present a stylized but elegant performance, as main characters in the play between Art Nouveau and Art Deco.