Description
GERMANY – ASHTRAY – CADINEN
While the royal porcelain firm of KPM was founded by King Frederick the Great, Kaiser Wilhelm II founded a royal pottery firm in 1904/1905. This enterprise which was known as Cadinen was located near the East Prussian town of Cadinen. This town is now located in Poland.
From what I have been able to find the items produced were for his personal use in his many castles and were also sold as collectors items in a limited edition series. Each of these were marked with a series number.
Our offering today is an ash tray. It is circular and is larger at the base than at the top. The primary material for the ashtray is clay which was fired in a kiln at the Cadinen factory. This portion of the ashtray is a reddish brown color. Above this at the top of the ashtray is a band of silver or German silver. This band shows a great deal of oxidation or patina. Attached to this band is a single piece on which a cigarette or cigar could have rested when not in use.
As we look at the bottom we see the name Cadinen and a royal crown stamped into the clay while it was still moist.
Now I have a theory. Having seen examples of other work from Cadinen which had series numbers stamped on them, I believe this ashtray was intended for and used at one of Wilhelm II’s castles or one of his yachts. Again this is just a theory and I will stand corrected if another reader has information to the contrary.
