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Cybis Flowers / Porcelain Gardens
The Porcelain Gardens by Cybis
The earliest sculptures released by Cybis were decorated with flowers. Each petal was individually hand formed. Therefore, it's no surprise that Cybis created an entire collection just for flowers. There's no doubt, the Cybis Studio pioneered floral sculptures in the American porcelain arts. While Europeans made impressive floral designs in fine china, Cybis raised the bar by creating sculptures in their own unique formula of porcelain. While subsequent firms following Cybis may be acclaimed for special achievements in the U.S. and the U.K., Cybis was not only first, but set the standards for porcelain floral design. The others simply followed. While the competition was busy trying to catch up by making birds, animals and even Disney characters, Cybis continued to raise the bar by creating captivating works that remained entirely made of porcelain. Meanwhile, the competition resorted to inserting metal rods and wire "coated with porcelain" in various attempts to meet the beauty Cybis had already accomplished years before. While inferior products made using such materials are today cracking and peeling, the pure porcelain works produced by Cybis are still delighting third and fourth generation collectors and are as beautiful as they were the day they left the studio in Trenton.
Flowers / Porcelain Gardens
Rose Alba
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Condessa Rose
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Apple Blossom
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Colonial Flower Basket
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Orchid
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Rose with Forsythia "Love Song"
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Camellia "Pink Taffeta"
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Magnolia "Southern Belle"
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Golden Clarion (Lily)
Released 1961
Design number 501
Introduced in 1961 as a limited edition restricted to 100 copies, the Golden Clarion was completed in 1970. It was available only in Parian color. No design or color variations have been found.
The earliest sculptures were signed and numbered on the bottom (as shown next). Later editions would be attached to a wooden base and then signed and numbered on the back of the sculpture.
Issue / Completed Price
$250 $250
Measures 11" tall
Magnolia
Released 1963
Introduced as on open edition, the magnolia was produced in Parian color and white. Some time after introduction a wooden base was introduced and shipped with all orders. Bases were later discontinued in 1975.
Design number 504
The Parian white was made from 1963 to 1965.
Issue / Completed Price
$45 $45 white in 1965
$67 $310 color in 1979
Measures 4" x 7"
The earliest design did not look like a magnolia. The actual flower was quickly redesigned within the first year. The only "pink toned" versions are found in the design shown above with sharper pointed petals.
Round blunt end stamen used on later sculptures through the 1970's.
Flat "shaved' shaped stamen used in the early 1970's.
Elongated sharp end stamen used in 1960's.
The magnolia flower is supported by a branch which had been recycled from use in several other Cybis sculptures. Reusing common components was a practice the studio made use of frequently.
The final redesign of the magnolia lowered the emerging bud to the backside of the flower where it is actually hidden. It's now a lost feature which can only be seen when viewed from behind.
Dahlia
Released 1964
Introduced as a limited edition restricted to 350 copies, Dahlia was completed in 1968.
It was produced in Parian color only. The studio did not declare an all white version would be produced. If one should surface, it is an unfinished copy that managed to escape the studio through irregular channels or was later sold during the time the studio was open to the public during the 1990's. If sold during the 1990's it would have had the A.P. mark slapped on it just before going out the door. Read more on A.P. marks below.
Issue / Completed Price
$450 $500
Design number 508
The Dahlia was assembled from over 100 separate components and fired to create one single piece of porcelain. No design variations have been found. Due to the fact each piece is hand assembled, no two pieces are alike and some Dahlia sculptures are very different in structure as pictures in this section demonstrate.
While the primary color sold was yellow, colors vary widely. Some have only lightly colored yellow centers while others have yellow coloring throughout. Pink was an optional color, but secondary market records would indicate very few pink copies were released. There was no price difference between the two colors as price lists don't indicate the color options were available. The studio did not promote the pink variation in marketing material so collectors and merchants may have never been made fully aware the pink copy was an option. Only one numbered pink copy, #374, has surfaced along with two A.P. copies. What appears to be a Dahlia in white with tinges of green in the center, #52, is a possible third variation.
Measures 12" tall
The earliest Dahlias were on shorter bases just under 3/4" tall. The base was changed to a taller version measuring well over 1" tall. Heights on the Dahlia can vary due to the bases and due to stem positions supporting the unopened blooms. Some droop while others appear to actually be shorter. When fired, some blooms had a tendency to "hang" while others appeared to face upward. Certainly no two are alike.
White with green center, #52.
Yellow with dark yellow center.
Full yellow flower.
This pink copy is marked A.P.
Many A.P. items from the 1960's were donated to various institutions during the 1970's. Several of these items have been offered on the secondary market as holdings are reevaluated. They are often liquidated to reduce irrelevant articles to an institution's current collection or to raise funds if needed. When new leadership takes the reins of an organization they often decide to redirect focus for a collection, a wing or an entire institution. Items that do not conform with the new direction are quietly retired, archived and later sold to create space for new acquisitions.
This piece was purchased (for this collection) at auction in Pennsylvania. It has an additional number that appears to be a catalog number similar to those museums assign for cataloging items in a collection. The number was not added by the studio. Sculptures with peculiar markings turn up periodically and seem to indicate the item had been a part of an archive or larger collection of art. If it is possible to confirm such information, it adds to the sculptures provenance! What collector would not be happy to have items that once were a part of a prestigious collection? Unfortunately, many institutions do not want to be recognized in a public sale of content donated by benefactors who would surely be disappointed to learn of their generous gift's disposal.
In the 1970's the studio was selective and discrete when it came to disposing of artist's proofs. Due to the ethical issues created by advertising a limited edition would never exceed the declared number, the studio was careful to end production when the edition size was reached. Therefore, collector's investments were protected by not selling or making A.P. items available for sale. An early A.P., especially for a hard to find item like the pink Dahlia, is a safe bet. However, A.P. items from the 1980's should be avoided as dozens were often churned out for sale at the studio once it was opened to the public. Once an edition reached the declared limit it was closed, but there was an endless supply of A.P. sculptures for purchase.
A tale of two Artist's Proofs (A.P.)
A second pink Dahlia marked as an A.P. became available as part of an estate from a former Dallas executive with a large corporation that sold Cybis. This estate contained other rare limited edition sculptures, some of which were also marked A.P. Having acquired these items in the 1970's the A.P. markings would hint at a special relationship. These pieces may have been given as gifts by the studio, based on the merchants volume. But the studio did not sell or ship A.P. items to any merchant in place of numbered editions.
A.P. marks next to Cybis signature
Periodically a sculpture was redesigned during production. In the event of a design change a new A.P. would be created for use in completing the remaining orders. The Dahlia was never redesigned. However, when comparing these two A.P. copies, there is a color variation as shown in the next picture. The buds on one are painted entirely pink. The buds on the other are green like the stem. Only the inside petals are pink. These two sculptures, used as "patterns" by artists painting the production items, were very different. It had been assumed all A.P. copies were identical so that production copies would meet rigorous quality control. These examples demonstrate further why no two pieces are ever exactly alike.
Variations between Artist's Proofs
Above the two A.P. sculptures are back-to-back for easier comparison in showing how the buds were painted.
Narcissus
Released 1968
Design number 516
Introduced as a limited edition restricted to a declared issue of 500, Narcissus was completed in 1973. Narcissus has no known design or color variations.
Like the Calla and Iris, the Narcissus stems are attached to a round porcelain base designed to sit inside a felt covered socket in a wood base. To secure the sculpture inside the wood base, a cork ring lines the socket to provide a snug fit when the sculpture is inserted. Contrary to some statements, the porcelain sculptures were never glued into the sockets of the wood base. If a sculpture is found "glued" in place, it was done by an owner and not shipped that way from the studio.
Issue / Completed Price
$350 $350
Measures 11" tall
The image above shows the Narcissus and the wood base shipped from Cybis.
Iris
Released 1963
The Iris was released as a limited edition restricted to 250 copies and was completed in 1970. The Iris was part of the grand display seen entering the Cybis gallery of the 1964 World's Fair in New York City.
Issue / Completed Price
$500 $500
Design number 502
Each sculpture was assembled from dozens of individually formed components. Once complete, the firing process caused each sculpture to "bloom" into a unique display. The positions of leaves and flowers vary to some degree on every piece. These minor differences should not be considered design variations.
Measures 16 1/2" tall
The Iris, like the Narcissus and Calla lily, sits inside a felt covered wood base. This base compliments the sculpture while providing a secure wider base to prevent it from tipping over. Unfortunately, many of the Iris pieces offered on the secondary market have been sold without the wood base.
While no design variations have been found among production items, the original marketing photo shows a prototype with two flowers. All items sold on the secondary market are found with three flowers. It is possible the first few produced had only two. The pink Iris shown here is #17, so if a two flower version was sold it was in very limited quantities, perhaps as few as five or six.
The Iris, like the Dahlia, was released in yellow and pink. It is not known how many of each were produced.
The individual measurements vary per sculpture. Measurements were always taken with the wood base. The offiicial height was 16 1/2" but the copye shown measures 17".
Calla (Lily)
Released 1968
Introduced as a limited edition restricted to 500 copies, Calla was completed in 1974.
Issue / Completed Price
$750 $750
Design number 515
There are no known design variations but minor color variations are noted in the leaves. Some leaves will be bright with heavier veining while others are darker green. This is likely due to the individual artist's style and technique as each decorator mixed his/her own paint on a daily basis.
The Calla lily was produced only with white flowers.
Measures 16 1/2" tall
Dutch Crocus - Blue Enchantress & Golden Goblet
Released in 1970
Introduced as a limited edition restricted to 700 copies the edition size was reduced to half (350) and closed in four years. Dutch Crocus was closed in 1974.
Issue / Completed Price
$550 $650
Design number 520
The approach the studio took with this sculpture was unusual compared to other items released. Rather than announcing an edition limit for each color, only one edition size was announced for the two colors. Initially 700 copies would be made for either blue or yellow. This was a more flexible approach allowing merchants to order colors preferred by their clients. Clearly neither color did well as this overpriced smaller sculpture was a slow seller. The studio never released how many of either color were sold.
Measures 8 1/2" tall
For Dutch Crocus the there have been no design variations noted. Obviously, the sculpture was released in two colors, yellow and purple. While the name Blue Enchantress implies the expected color should be blue, it is actually purple. Golden Goblet, the name assigned for the yellow version has been found in minor color variations ranging from dark yellow to nearly white with just a hint of yellow shading.
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Pansies - China Maid & Crinoline Lady
Released in 1972
Introduced as a limited edition restricted to 1,000 copies, China Maid (in yellow) was completed in 1974. The full name is China Maid with Butterfly. Crinoline Lady (in purple) was released the following year in 1975 also with an edition restricted to 1,000. The purple version closed in 1981 without selling the entire declared issue. No design or significant color variations are noted.
Issue / Completed Price
$275 $275 yellow
$295 $395 purple
Design number 523 Y & P
The first edition in yellow was extremely popular with the entire edition of 1,000 fully subscribed and closed in just two years. The purple edition did not do as well. It was reduced to 750 copies in 1980 and finally 600 copies in 1981 due to sluggish sales.
Measures 7" tall
Each sculpture was mounted on a wood base using a toggle bolt. Items found with no base should be considered damaged and priced accordingly. Other damage periodically noted on these sculptures will be the absence of the butterfly.
Christmas Rose (Helleborus Niger)
Released 1965
Introduced as a limited edition restricted to 500 copies, the Christmas Rose was completed in 1970. Originally named Christmas Rose (Helleborus Niger) the name was soon shortened dropping the Latin name in parenthesis. The studio had not previously used the Latin names for floral sculptures so this was a bit unusual. Perhaps it was thought initially it was necessary since there is a Helleborus Orientalis.
Issue / Completed Price
$250 $300
Design number 514
The original marketing photo that appeared in the 1965 catalog and brochure has the rose staged outside in the snow. It is likely a prototype that was photographed as the example pictured has very shaggy looking stamen. None have been found like this. The example pictured previously (and next) show sculpture #2 indicating it was produced in the first run. The initial run had long, slender stamen but this would be changed again soon after that run was created.
Measures 7 1/2" tall
Measurements on any sculpture can vary widely. In the picture shown above, the earlier edition had the top flower drooping a bit when fired. While this looks completely natural, it was not quite the same look as others which did not droop. The earlier copy is marked #2 while the later copy is #441. Sculpture #2 measures 6 3/4" tall, while #441 is 7 1/2" tall. These measurements include the wood base which came attached to all sculptures. The Christmas Rose has no known significant color variations. The design variations are all related to the stamen as shown in the three examples below.
Stamen on prototype
Stamen found on most sculptures
The stamen as seen on the prototype would have been extremely labor intensive slowing the mounting process significantly.
Stamen on initial run
Stamen found on most sculptures
Stamen found on most sculptures
The sculptures released in the first run saw a significantly reduced amount of stamen. While faster to produce, they aren't quite right when compared to the real flower.
Stamen found on most sculptures
Stamen found on most sculptures
Stamen found on most sculptures
In an attempt to make the stamen look closer to the real thing and even quicker to assemble the third and final stamen version is most commonly found.
Most commonly found sculpture.
Mounted on wood base.