Lenci was founded in 1919 in Turin, Italy by Enrico Scavini, a business agent and his wife, Elena König.

The name ‘Lenci’ was an acronym for Ludus est nobis constanter industria [Play is our constant work]. The couple's first daughter had unexpectedly suddenly died during a Spanish influenza epidemic, and as reaction to the loss, Elena König had started to create rag dolls, imagining that they could be toys for her lost child. Distributed firstly only among the friends of the family, Elena König’s rag dolls soon achieved popularity with the wider public who appreciated them for their simplicity and creative and meticulous workmanship.

Their success was assisted by participation and awards from a number of prestigious trade fairs, including the International Exhibition of Decorative Arts held in Monza in 1923, the Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris in 1925 and the International Exhibition more...

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Lenci Italian Art Deco figural porcelain table lamp with black…

Lenci Art Deco Porcelain Table Lamp with Original Label

Lenci Italian Art Deco figural porcelain table lamp with black fabric and tassel shade, signed 'Lenci, Made in Italy', with original label, 76 cm high overall

'Mamma Sirena Su Piatto' - a ceramic group by Helen Konig…

'Mermaid and Baby on Turtle'

'Mamma Sirena Su Piatto' - a ceramic group by Helen Konig Scavini for Ars Lenci, c.1936, modeled as a mermaid and her mer-baby riding on a turtle, signed Lenci, Made in Italy, Turino, XI-XIII, X, height 32 cm, small chip on fin. Sitting on a circular base…

A Lenci Art Deco porcelain figure of a girl, Italian, circa…

Lenci Art Deco Porcelain Girl Figure

A Lenci Art Deco porcelain figure of a girl, Italian, circa 1936, marked 1005 and signed 'Lenci' to base, 28.5 cm high

Art Deco Lenci wall mask, 30 cm high approx.

Lenci Art Deco Wall Mask (30cm)

Art Deco Lenci wall mask, 30 cm high approx.

Lenci wall mask, in the form of scarfed women with halo, the…

Lenci Floral Scarfed Women Wall Mask

Lenci wall mask, in the form of scarfed women with halo, the scarf decorated with floral motifs in tones of pink, green, yellow and blue, factory marks verso, height 25.5 cm

The Little Lawyer figurine, signed underneath 'Lenci Made in…

Lenci Little Lawyer Figurine

The Little Lawyer figurine, signed underneath 'Lenci Made in Italy R. F.'

A signed Lenci polychrome earthenware wall mask, circa 1930s,…

Lenci Polychrome Earthenware Wall Mask

A signed Lenci polychrome earthenware wall mask, circa 1930s, model 686, 'Testa', in naturalistic tones, the face of a woman of contemporary beauty in a blue floral headscarf; with mark of Lenci, made in Italy and monogram underside, also with inscribed…

A Lenci pottery figure of a kneeling girl with dog, c.1925, she…

Lenci Pottery Kneeling Girl with Dog Figure

A Lenci pottery figure of a kneeling girl with dog, c.1925, she is modelled nude, wearing a black and white checked beret, a book in one hand and a small dog lying by her side. Height 23.3 cm, painted 'Lenci Made in Torino Italy '. Designed by Elena Konig…