No. 04

Schoenau & Hoffmeister

German Antique Bisque Doll

Details

Maker

Schoenau & Hoffmeister, Porzellanfabrik Burggrub (Bavaria, Germany)

Type

German antique (original or reproduction to be confirmed)

Mark

S PB H (PB inside a star)

Period

after 1901

About this doll

A doll in a pink knitted dress with a lace yoke and ribbons, wearing a straw hat. Her full brown curls and blue eyes give her a gentle expression.

Schoenau & Hoffmeister dolls can be recognized by the mark on the back of the neck: the letters PB inside a five-pointed star, flanked by S and H, followed by the mold number, the size number and sometimes a doll's name.

Background

In 1901 Arthur Schoenau and Carl Hoffmeister, both doll assemblers from Sonneberg, founded the porcelain factory 'Porzellanfabrik Burggrub' in Burggrub, Bavaria, to secure a steady supply of bisque heads for the Sonneberg toy industry. The partners went their separate ways in 1907, Hoffmeister wanting shoulder heads and Schoenau socket heads, and the Schoenau family carried the business on.

The best-known molds are the dolly-face socket heads 1906 and 1909, along with 5500 and 4000; the character baby 'Hanna' and the 1929 'Princess Elizabeth' are especially sought after by collectors. The star mark was used until about 1930. Bisque heads were made until 1953, after which the factory turned to technical ceramics and tableware.

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