Base Behavior at Cybis

Base Behavior at Cybis

Fear not: This is neither a juicy scandal nor a moralistic lecture. It’s an overview of all the Cybis retail sculptures ever produced on or with a base, and there’s a more interesting variety of them than one would think. All Cybis bases fall into one of two categories: either physically attached to the sculpture [...]

Identifying Unsigned 1950s Cybis Porcelains

Identifying Unsigned 1950s Cybis Porcelains

The first decade of the Cybis porcelain 'brand' existence was a bit of a Wild West show, to say the least. Unlike subsequent decades which came under Marylin Chorlton's ownership, most of the 1950s pieces are both a blessing and a curse to collectors. A curse because almost all of them were cast from commercially [...]

Decoding Cybis and Cordey Design and Mold Numbers

The two Boleslaw Cybis porcelain lines (Cordey and Cybis) both utilized a number system for their production but approached them in different ways. A working knowledge of both can be helpful when trying to identify the 1950s output of the Cybis branded items in particular. The Cordey Numbering System Cordey items often contain an embarrassment [...]

The Hall of Shame (copies of Cybis porcelain)

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but when it comes to things like copyright infringement there's such a thing as being a little too flattering! So herewith the Archive inaugurates a Hall of Shame displaying blatant knockoffs of Cybis Porcelain copyrighted designs. There is one item that I dithered over adding to [...]

Edition Size Discrepancies: A Cybis Conundrum

From a collector’s point of view, the issue size of a limited-edition item is of major importance; it’s therefore disconcerting if the artist or manufacturer plays fast and loose with that particular attribute. The concept of marketing retail items as “limited editions” didn’t become widespread until the 1960s. The Boehm Porcelain studio was one of [...]

Upsize, Downsize (or, Honey I Shrunk the Cybis)

Although I’ve never been a fan of Cybis’ Hall of Fame series of replicated “legacy” sculptures, I’ve always been curious about how they managed to produce identical but downscaled versions of pieces whose original molds were supposedly destroyed decades ago. So, I decided to learn how the upsize/downsize process actually works. In my quest to [...]

Authenticating Cybis Porcelain – Part Two

The most important elements in authenticating a sculpture that appears, or is claimed, to be Cybis involve the painting/decoration, mold impressions, and applied marks. Painting and Decoration This is the subtlest factor in determining whether a piece of Cybis is genuine and is the most challenging to master. The more Cybis sculptures one sees (if [...]