Cybis Porcelain

Boleslaw Cybis 1895-1957

When Boleslaw Cybis determined he would produce china and porcelain goods for public consumption, it was his intent to not only build a solid business, but to also do what he loved. Boleslaw was an artist in every aspect having learned old world techniques in sculpture before immigrating from Europe to the U.S. in 1939. His artistic skill combined with the foresight to produce items consumers wanted insured success in his new country.

First working with a cold cast, porous plaster product he termed "Papka", Boleslaw and his wife Maria created crude whimsical figures they sold on the streets of New York City.

The text below the picture in the Burrows Gallerye ad above reads,

"Bob burrows is shown admiring the three Cybis Musical Angels he recently acquired for his gallery and advanced collectors. The 14" angels beautifully decorated in muted tones of pink, green and yellow, were awarded first prize in a N.Y. exhibit. The three angels have been authenticated by the Cybis Studio and are signed and dated 1940. Crafted in the Papka era, they are fine examples of early Cybis art. The N.J. State Museum publication "Cybis in Retrospect" portrays a photo of Marja Cybis working in the Steinway Studio on a "Fresco" angel and on the mantle in the background is one of the angels above."

The angels were confirmed by the studio as Papka sculptures produced in 1940 by Marja. The claim that an angel in the picture shown in the catalog Cybis in Retrospect (shown below) was one of the angels Mr. Burrows had obtained is incorrect. The picture in Retrospect of Marja working on a Fresco angel is a larger copy of the item on the mantle. The three Mr. Burrows had obtained were all angels playing musical instruments. The piece shown in Retrospect was an entirely different angel with no instrument. While similar in size and design, the piece on the mantle was not one of the three pictured above.

This set of three has an interesting provenance. Clearly, they were documented in the 1975 advertisement from Burrows. They were subsequently offered for sale in the late 1970's in a classified ad for $10,000.00, but it is not known if they ever in fact sold at that price. The three were again offered for sale in 2017, this time online, where they were purchased for this collection.

By 1950, Cordey's prominence began to erode within the market. Cheap imports and knockoffs by competitors were impacting sales. This alone was not good. Complicating things, Cordey was also facing worker dissatisfaction and staff divisions among a few. Even though the majority of employees overwhelmingly supported Boleslaw, stating he was a fair and good boss, a small faction attempted to unionize and illegally formed picket lines blockading the operation. Union organizers were far from successful in acquiring the signatures needed. Efforts to unionize eventually fell apart, but not before taking its toll on Cordey and Boleslaw. To end the illegal blockade, Cybis filed a lawsuit against the union, which he won. At this point, his health was failing and he could no longer commit the time and energy needed to develop new products to drive the studio forward. It was time for change.

One may say Boleslaw's prayers were answered with the introduction of Christian decorative wares under the Cybis Fine China hallmark. Cybis had previously released sculptures of a religious nature as early as 1948. These pieces were marked with the polish eagle crest or the back-to-back double "C" mark while others had an incised hand signed "Cybis" signature. In 1953 Boleslaw registered Cybis as a NJ corporation. A new studio was born and Cordey was phased out. Through the purchase of commercial molds of varying Christian subject matter, items could be quickly produced and sold to a large market hungry for decorative items to support their faith.

While many of the items produced were simply treated as household decorations, as opposed to art, Boleslaw did introduce several fine larger pieces. Custom sized sculptures were also commissioned by area churches. This drew recognition to the Cybis Studio and established its reputation for producing the finest Christian art sculpture and decorative products available.

Not long after introducing the Cybis line, Boleslaw again perfected the formula used in creating sculptures and the studio graduated from fine china to porcelain. The Cybis brand was doing well, but Boleslaw was suffering both physical and mental health issues.

Sadly, in 1957, Boleslaw made the decision to end his life, committing suicide at home on Greenhouse Drive in Princeton, NJ. A year later in 1958, his wife Maria, having never recovered from her husband's death, ended her life at the same address. The studio was left to a longtime employee who was like a daughter. Marylin Kozuch had worked with Boleslaw and Maria since their arrival in New York in 1939. The studio was now hers. But just as Cordey ran its course, by the early 1960's the religious line of products Cybis introduced also began to wane. Marylin would be responsible for taking the studio to the next level and her success was certainly amazing.

Porcelain Art that Inspired a Generation

Boleslaw Cybis 1895-1957

Papka angels produced in 1940

1975 Ad from The Burrows Gallerye shows the three angels above

Marja sculpting a large Papka angel.

The Cordey Years

Boleslaw inspecting fired items in 1948.

Cybis Religious Art Sculptures

Cybis - The Beginning