Antelopes Figurine

This is very large figurine made by Meissen in the earlier 20th century. First modeled by Otto Pilz in 1912 I believe, it depics two Scimitar oryx aka Sahara oryx that are fighting for a female. Originally a fairly common species it was declared extinct in the wild until a population was reintroduced in Chad. A gorgeous animal! The two antelopes are standing on an oval base with grasses to support them. The lower animal looks to be piercing the side of the upper one but the upper one has its hooves on the neck and back of the one on the bottom. A really neat piece that reminds us to be more protective of nature! Superbly modeled and hand painted in the under glaze colors of this Art Nouveau / Jugendstil period. Not a model one sees often at all! The figurine is in great condition for this model with the only issue being a firing crack to the underside only - it does not touch the sides or shows on top and is a manufacturing issue often found on these large pieces. Not considered real damage and it is was still deemed a first class piece! The figure is rather heavy and about 11 inches tall, 12 inches wide and 7.5 inches deep. It is marked with the artist name O. Pilz on the top side of the piece as well as the under glaze blue crossed swords mark (first choice) underneath and the impressed model number plus a black painter's mark as shown. A nice early example! Please email me for more information or other pictures.