RK Dresden Porcelain Casket Box with Applied Roses
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A Dresden-style casket box with an RK crown mark
This RK Dresden porcelain box is a footed casket with a domed lid, a cobalt blue ground, heavy gilt scrolls, pierced lattice panels and a cluster of applied porcelain roses on top. The gold mark on the base shows a crown over an RK monogram with "Dresden" and "GERMANY" below it.
The RK monogram belongs to Karl Richard Klemm, a German artist born in 1852 who opened a porcelain decorating studio in Striesen, near Dresden, in 1869. Like other Dresden decorators, his studio painted porcelain blanks, often from Meissen, in Meissen, Dresden and Vienna styles. His RK Dresden mark was registered in 1888. Klemm died in 1916, and his workshop was merged with Donath & Co., which Hutschenreuther later bought.
Klemm marks are usually described in blue and dated to about 1888 to 1916. This box differs in three ways: the mark is in gold, the flower sprays show the fine dot pattern of printed transfers rather than brushwork, and the gilding has a coppery tone. Those details suggest a later piece made in the Dresden style, so the RK mark alone doesn't confirm it came from Klemm's studio.
Klemm history and mark registration from The Old Stuff's Klemm marks page and antique-marks.com. Blue mark dating from Marks4Antiques. An RK Dresden Germany piece dated 1891 to 1914 from Heritage Auctions. Construction, decoration and mark details from the owner's photos.
A cobalt and gold footed box with flower panels and a rose finial
The RK Dresden porcelain casket box is a long, wavy-sided box standing on four scrolled feet, with a domed lid that lifts off. The body and lid are cobalt blue with a speckled texture, broken up by white panels framed in thick raised gold scrolls. The large panels at each end of the lid hold mixed flower bouquets, and the smaller side panels each hold a single flower spray. A bunch of applied porcelain roses sits in the middle of the lid as a handle.
A blue and gold porcelain box with roses on the lid, open lattice sides and a gold crown RK Dresden Germany mark is this piece.
- Shape: serpentine casket, longer than wide, on four outswept scroll feet.
- Lid finial: applied porcelain roses: one pale yellow, one pink, with a small blue rosebud and white leaves edged in gold.
- Lid panels: two large white reserves with mixed bouquets in pink, purple, blue, yellow and orange, plus smaller side reserves with single sprays.
- Body panels: white reserves with single flowers: a red tulip, a purple and yellow pansy, a blue star-shaped flower.
- Lattice: pierced diamond lattice bands in cobalt, picked out with gold dots and dashes, on the lid and body.
- Gilding: thick raised scrolls, shells and leaves in a coppery gold, with a gold band around the rim of the base and lid.
- Flowers: the sprays show a fine dot screen up close, the sign of printed transfers.
- Inside: plain white glaze. The lattice openings show through the walls.
- Marks: gold crown over an interlaced RK monogram, "Dresden" in script and "GERMANY" in block capitals. A small green painted mark sits near the edge.
- This copy: gilt rubbed on the feet and high points of the scrolls, dust and dirt in the recesses and on the roses, and brown stains on the base and inside. No breaks visible in these photos.
[crown] RK Dresden GERMANYGold mark on the base. A separate small green painted mark is partly legible near the edge.
- RK Dresden casket box
- Richard Klemm style porcelain box
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- Dresden reticulated porcelain jewelry box
- Crown RK Dresden Germany box
Every listing we've found, ranked by delivered price
No other listings of this box were found on eBay or Etsy in October 2026, so it is rated Ultra rare.
| Seller | Condition | Price | Shipping | Delivered | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owner's copy | Used. Gilt wear on the feet and scroll tips, dirt in the recesses and on the roses, stains on the base. No breaks visible. | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not for sale yet |
About the RK Dresden porcelain box
What does the RK Dresden Germany mark mean?
RK is the monogram of Richard Klemm, whose decorating studio near Dresden opened in 1869. His RK Dresden mark was registered in 1888, and Klemm marks are usually dated to about 1888 to 1916.
Is this box made by Richard Klemm?
That isn't confirmed. Klemm marks are usually described in blue, while this one is gold, and the flowers on this box are printed transfers rather than hand painting. Those details point to a later Dresden-style piece.
How old is it?
The mark itself dates to the Klemm era, about 1888 to 1916. The printed flowers and coppery gilding suggest this box is later, likely mid 20th century or after. That's an estimate, not a confirmed date.
How do I tell hand painting from transfer printing?
Look at a flower with a magnifier. Printed transfers show a regular grid of tiny dots. Hand painting shows brush strokes and uneven color with no dot pattern.
What is it worth?
No sales or listings of this exact box were found on eBay or Etsy, which is why it is rated Ultra rare. With no sales on record there isn't enough data to set a value yet.