The Royal Vienna mark and its many variations remain one of the major mysteries confronting R. S. Prussia (RSP) collectors.   To understand the relationship of the marks, an overview of the original Royal Vienna (RV) factory, the smaller companies that copied/imitated original RV, and the porcelain that's marked RS Prussia/Royal Vienna crown marks (generally attributed to the Reinhold Schlegelmilch factories) is provided.

The original RV factory was established in Vienna, capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1719, by Dutchman Claude Depaquier.  It was the second hard paste porcelain factory, following Meissen of Germany.  The most prevalent mark was the "beehive" mark, which was actually a blue shield, but when inverted looks like a beehive.  It was simple in its design and easy to copy.  Thus, when the factory closed in 1865 (four years before the opening of the RSP factory in Suhl, Prussia (now in Germany)), small companies began to copy the mark in the hope that the RV name/mark would add prestige to their products.  This was probably true of RSP as well, but by including the word "Germany" in its marks, RSP appeared not to deceive, but to give its high-end porcelain a distinctive name.

There are numerous versions of the RSP-RV marks.  Generally, the marks comprise of the words "Royal Vienna", a 5-pointed crown with orbs (and sometimes small pearls on the orbs), and sometimes the word "Germany" beneath the crown.  RSP-RV marks are in varying shades of red, green and gold.  There are several "related" marks with this type of crown, such as: "Viersa"; the small crown without any text; the letters "AKB" with Royal Vienna crown , Royal Prussia and Royal Coburg.

The preponderance of similar molds and designs lead us to conclude that RSP's use of the RV mark, including "double marks" (the RSP wreath-and-star + the RV crown) support the theory that the porcelain was indeed manufactured by the RSP factory, founded by Reinhold Schlegelmilch in 1869.  Catalog documentation and the art nouveau style indicate it was produced from 1905 - 10. 

For more information, visit the RS Prussia club web site - rsprussia.com.  It provides numerous examples, articles, membership information and guides.  The club hosts annual conventions, auctions, buying opportunities and educational seminars and issues quarterly newsletters that contain excellent collecting information and news.