c. 1899–1905
TURN-TEPLITZ-BOHEMIA; RStK; MADE IN AUSTRIA
Red urn-and-initials stamp; the separate three-rifle device at left is Max Emanuel’s retailer mark.
printed · pottery or porcelain · Turn-Teplitz, Bohemia
Pottery & porcelain
Amphora pottery marks
Amphora pottery marks include printed “AMPHORA” on pottery or porcelain dated c. 1918–1945 in Turn-Teplitz, Bohemia.
- Active years
- 1892–1945
- Country
- Czech Republic
- City / region
- Czech Republic (historically Austria-Hungary and Czechoslovakia)
- Products
- Art Nouveau vases, porcelain figures, pottery figures, jardinières, decorative vessels, Art Deco pottery
- Marks
- 5
Independent Amphora factory 1892–1945; nationalized in 1945 and incorporated into a larger ceramics organization after the war.
What to look for
- Separate the factory name from model and workroom numbers. RStK identifies the early partnership; large impressed numbers are not calendar years.
- Compare complete layouts: the urn with RStK, plain impressed AMPHORA oval, circular Imperial device, crowned printed wordmark and Czech-country oval are different devices.
- Turn-Teplitz is the historical factory location. AUSTRIA and CZECHO-SLOVAKIA wording reflect different political periods around the same Bohemian manufacturing area.
Dated marks & timeline
5 marks
c. 1918–1938
AMPHORA; MADE IN CZECHO-SLOVAKIA
Country wording encircles Amphora within an oval.
printed · pottery or porcelain · Turn-Teplitz, Bohemia
c. 1918–1945
AMPHORA
Blue crown above a rectangular pointed cartouche.
printed · pottery or porcelain · Turn-Teplitz, Bohemia
Undated
IMPERIAL AMPHORA TURN
Circular wording surrounds the imperial eagle.
stamped · pottery or porcelain · Turn-Teplitz, Bohemia
Undated
AMPHORA
Plain incuse oval; adjacent 3635 is a model number.
impressed · pottery or porcelain · Turn-Teplitz, Bohemia
About Amphora pottery
Riessner, Stellmacher & Kessel established its ceramics factory at Turn-Teplitz in Bohemia in 1892. The town is now Trnovany, part of Teplice in the Czech Republic. The firm’s initials, RStK, appear on early pieces, while Amphora became the name most closely associated with its production. Its range included ornamental vases, figures and other decorative objects in porcelain and pottery.
The factory developed elaborate Art Nouveau designs with flowers, insects, animals and female figures. Modelled surfaces, contrasting glazes, gilding and applied decoration gave the wares their distinctive appearance. Eduard Stellmacher and Paul Dachsel were important designers. International exhibitions and export sales brought the factory’s work to European and American buyers.
Stellmacher left the partnership in 1904 and established a separate factory in 1905. The original concern continued as Riessner & Kessel; after Kessel’s departure in 1910 it operated as Amphora Works Riessner. Production continued beyond the Art Nouveau period into Art Deco and more ordinary decorative wares. After the First World War, Czechoslovakia wording appeared among its marks. The company was nationalized in 1945 and joined the postwar ceramics industry in Teplice.
Also known as: RStK · R. St. K. · Reissner, Stellmacher & Kessel · Riessner & Kessel · Amphora Works Riessner · Imperial Amphora · Amphora Turn-Teplitz · Riessner, Stellmacher & Kessel; later Amphora-Werke Riessner
Look-alikes & how to tell them apart
Eduard Stellmacher & Co.
Stellmacher made designs for the original Amphora factory before opening his own Turn-Teplitz concern in 1905. His separate marks spell STELLMACHER and can include Potterie or TEPLITZ, rather than the RStK partnership device.