Lladro Dolphins at Play

LLADR COLLECTORS SOCIETY BISQUE PORCELAIN VOTIVE HOLDER - "JUEGO DE LOS DELFINES" / "DOLPHINS AT PLAY", No. 17658, 1998, WITH ORIGINAL BOX The eighth Lladr piece from this estate and the only unglazed piece in the group. A small footed cup-form votive candle holder in white matte bisque porcelain, modeled in low relief with dolphins leaping through waves, the sea worked as fine incised ripples around the lower body and soft clouds suggested near the rim. Two dolphins arc across one side and a third with a gull-like bird appears on the other, so the relief reads all the way around. Unpainted, undecorated, and finished entirely in the soft matte white bisque body that makes candlelight glow through the thin walls. The recessed foot carries the blue circular COLLECTORS SOCIETY LLADR backstamp reading HAND MADE IN SPAIN, DAISA 1997, and 1998. It comes with its original dark blue Lladr Collectors Society box with the printed end label reading 17658, Juego de los Delfines, Dolphins At Play, and barcode 7 37859 17658 6. Approximately 3.5 inches tall and 3.25 inches across the rim. The box is torn and taped at the corners. Sold as one votive holder with its original box. Description Lladr white matte bisque porcelain votive or candle cup, tapering cup form on a small stepped pedestal foot with a plain slightly flared rim. Relief decoration of dolphins in a rolling sea, with two dolphins leaping across one face, a third dolphin and a small gull-like bird on the opposite face, the water modeled as fine incised horizontal ripples around the lower half and cloud forms suggested in shallow relief near the rim. Entirely unglazed bisque, white throughout, with no painted or gilt decoration of any kind; the interior is smooth and undecorated. The recessed foot is marked with the blue printed circular Lladr backstamp reading COLLECTORS SOCIETY around the rim of the mark with the bell-flower logo and LLADR at center, and smaller lines reading HAND MADE IN SPAIN, DAISA 1997, and 1998 beneath, together with a small impressed factory letter or numeral that is not fully legible in the photograph. Original box included, a dark blue Lladr carton with a white LLADR COLLECTORS SOCIETY label on the lid and a second on the side, and a printed end panel showing a photograph of the votive with the Collectors Society 1998 roundel, the letter B, the number 17658, the titles Juego de los Delfines and Dolphins At Play, and barcode 7 37859 17658 6. Approximately 3.5 inches tall per the vertical tape-measure photograph, in which the tape is stood on the carpet beside the piece rather than fixed to it, so the height is a close estimate, and approximately 3.25 inches across the rim per the overhead photograph, in which the tape hook is set against the rim edge but the piece sits on carpet, so the diameter is also a close estimate. Bidders should verify all dimensions from the photographs. Attribution note Lladr is the Spanish porcelain house founded by the brothers Juan, Jos, and Vicente Lladr near Valencia in the 1950s. DAISA is the group entity holding the design copyrights, so the DAISA 1997 line in the mark is a design copyright date and the separate 1998 in the same mark is the Collectors Society year, not necessarily the exact production date. The Lladr Collectors Society was the company's collector club, and members received or purchased pieces issued specifically through the club, which is why the club name appears in both the backstamp and on the box labels here. Numbers in the 17000 range were used by Lladr for smaller giftware and accessory forms such as votive holders, plaques, and bells rather than for the figurine line. The number 17658 is read directly from the printed box label, and the consignor's own research identifies this as the Collectors Society Dolphins at Play votive holder released in 1998, which matches the box printing and the dated backstamp. No representation is made as to secondary-market value, issue or retirement date, or edition size, and bidders who care about those points should research the model number themselves before bidding. All identification here is read from the marks and box printing visible in these photographs and is offered as the consignor's photo-based opinion and is not guaranteed. Bid on the item as pictured. Condition Used display porcelain in very good condition for age, sold as-is. The votive appears complete and undamaged in the photographs, with the rim, foot, and relief all intact and no obvious chips, cracks, or repairs at the resolution shown. Bisque porcelain is unglazed and porous, so it holds fingerprints, dust, and soil in a way glazed pieces do not, and light overall grayness or handling soil should be expected in the incised waves and around the foot. The rim was not run under a finger for nicks and the piece was not held to a strong light for hairlines. No black light was used, so no statement can be made about invisible restoration. There is no candle wax, soot, or