“Pair of 19th Century German Thuringian Porcelain Figural Spill Vases, Rococo Revival Pastoral Couple, circa 1860–1885” has been added to your cart. View cart
An original German Third Reich porcelain mess-hall plate manufactured by Alt-Schönwald and dated 1937. The plate is produced in heavy white institutional porcelain (“thick china”), designed for durability in military or government dining facilities.
The underside is clearly printed with the Reichsadler property mark - national eagle over swastika - indicating state or military property, above the maker’s mark consisting of a crown, shield bearing a stylised fir tree (the heraldic emblem of Schönwald), and the inscription “Alt Schönwald 1937” in Fraktur script.
Alt-Schönwald was a well-known Bavarian porcelain manufacturer specialising in durable hotel, restaurant, and institutional tableware. During the Third Reich period several firms, including Schönwald, Rosenthal, and Hutschenreuther, produced porcelain for official government and military use. Plates such as this were typically supplied to Wehrmacht barracks, officers’ messes, and administrative facilities rather than field service.
The piece retains its original glaze and shows clear factory markings, with visible signs of use consistent with period military dining ware.
Approx. Measurements – Diameter: 23.4 cm.
Historical Note: Founded in 1879 in Schönwald, Bavaria, the Schönwald porcelain works became one of Germany’s leading producers of durable hospitality and institutional porcelain. By the 1930s the company supplied large quantities of tableware to hotels, railways, government institutions, and the German armed forces. Items marked with the Reich eagle were produced for official state use and form part of the wider category of Third Reich military dining ware used throughout the Wehrmacht during the pre-war and wartime period.
The 1937 date places this example in the early rearmament years of Nazi Germany, shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939.
*Condition* Good original condition with honest service wear. The glaze remains intact with surface scratching and staining to the eating surface consistent with prolonged institutional use. Minor edge marks and light age-related discolouration to the underside are present. The printed maker’s mark remains clear and well defined. No major cracks or structural damage observed. Please see photographs as part of the condition report.
