Childhood dreams by Meissen

Children ... How many emotions and souvenirs does one get into to his mind when pronouncing the word. Carelessness, curiosity, cheerfulness. All of these are emotions with no limits, if there is disappointment then it is simply terrible, and if there is joy then of course it is infinite. A sea of smiles, naive feelings, funny phrases and questions that perplex us adults.

Looking at this collection of childhood memories of Julius Konrad Hentschel, you will plunge back into the world of your childhood. You may even get a different look at your own children. For sure, you will give your child at least one smile more.

Hentschel is considered to have been one of the main artists at the Meissen manufacture in the first decade of the 20th century and did what was almost impossible by entirely flipping the image of children in art. In the 18th and 19th century, children were depicted in sculptures in positions that were not natural to them. Their clothing, facial expressions, gestures reminded adults. In the era of Hentschel the attitude towards children cardinally changed; people started looking at them as a natural expression of life energy, as unique individuals with their own feelings, thoughts and experiences. The sculptor was able to show the usual range of children's amusements and entertainment, interests and games.

The success of his figures is based on the fact that he took into account what children are really interested in themselves. Each figure of Hentschel captures the moment of truth, because, as you know, a child cognizes the world around him through his games. It is said that the sculptor once invited children playing in the gardens of the town of Meissen, to his studio to realize his idea to present his perception of childhood in full sincerity, purity and sincerity. Many workers at the manufactory called his studio at the time "the nursery."

The collection Hentschel, which was later named "the children of Hentschel" counts 14 compositions. However, in subsequent years, several other sculptors at the manufactory (Max Bohmann, Alfred Koenig, Emmerich Oehler, Paul Helmig and Paul Rumrich) continued the creation of porcelain figures of children as well.

In our webstore, you can find 37 different sculptures of children in the style of Hentschel. Even 100 years after Hentschel’s death, his works enjoy continued popularity and interest to collectors from around the world.

Also you can become an admirer of Julius Konrad Hentschel and gather his collection, which is fully represented in our shop. However, you can go even further and fill up the world of childhood memories by discovering the unmatched skills of other sculptors at the Meissen manufactory.

In 2014, Meissen started up a new project called "Figurine of the year." This series began with the figure "girl with two cats," which was created for the first time by Alfred Koenig exactly one hundred years earlier, i.e. when the First World War had just started. Koenig was personally acquainted with Hentschel and was therefore able to accurately convey the ideas and sentiments that the author of the collection originally wanted to express.