The Meissen factory produced presentation pieces used by diplomats as well as complete table services created for state occasions. Between 1736 and 1741, Modellmeister (head modeler) Johann Kaendler (1706-1775), created the Swan Service, the most elaborate dining service that was made at the Meissen Manufactory, for Count Heinrich von Brühl (1700-1763), prime minister to the […]

Two years after joining the Meissen factory, Johann Kaendler (1706-1775) became Modellmeister (head modeler) and was charged with creating models for special occasions. This liqueur barrel is an elaborate architectural piece containing the decorative curves, gold highlights and idealized landscapes of the French style. Bacchus, the ancient Greek god of wine, is seated on top […]

Artist Johann Gregorius Höroldt (1696-1775) created many of the illustrations that became standard patterns used on Meissen porcelain through the 1740s. Among his best-known creations are idealized European landscapes and Chinoiserie scenes showing elaborately dressed Chinese figures in fanciful landscape settings. These illustrations were assembled in a pattern book known as the Schulz Codex. This […]

The porcelain manufactory founded by Augustus the Strong (reg. 1694-1733), Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, was located in a castle in Meissen, Germany, high above the Elbe River – a perfect location for safeguarding the secrets of porcelain. To further deter industrial espionage, operations at the castle were separated into independent divisions of […]

[audio:http://www.yourdomain.com/path/to/your_mp3_file.mp3] The famed blue and white “Onion” pattern was developed around 1735 on the basis of such East Asian motifs as the chrysanthemum and the pomegranate. Mistaking a pomegranate for an onion, the German painters developed this pattern to capitalize on the European love of blue and white ware. Later adopted by other European and, […]

The expanded popularity of porcelain created at Meissen brought increased marketing opportunities. This patterned, saucer-less tea bowl with Arabic inscription was manufactured at Meissen specifically for the Turkish market around 1756, which corresponds to the Islamic year of 1170. Decorated on the outside with lotus flower relief, there is an inscription below the rim in […]

This ecuelle (small covered bowl) and stand (underplate) reflect the 18th century European interest in the natural sciences, particularly the scientific investigation and classification of animals and insects. The manufactory acquired many atlases with detailed depictions of birds, insects, plants and small animals, which were represented in full detail on porcelain. The yellow enamel color […]

The quality of painted decoration at the Meissen Manufactory increased dramatically when artist Johann Gregorius Höroldt (1696-1775) joined the staff in 1720. Höroldt oversaw the invention of more than sixteen different colors and created many of the illustrations that became standard patterns on Meissen porcelain through the 1740s. Although many of their patterns were inspired […]

As the Meissen painters became less dependent on Asian motifs, their patterns increasingly reflected 18th century European interests. Popular narrative stories from European fables were common themes found on early Meissen porcelain. A scene on this teapot illustrates the fable of the monkey and the cat, a story in which the hungry monkey used flattery […]

The word porcelain is derived from porcellana, a word used by Marco Polo (1254-1324) to describe the exquisite white clay vessels from China that resembled small Mediterranean cowry shells. Although porcelain production began in China during the Tang Dynasty in the 7th century, it was not until the 14th century that porcelain vessels were brought […]

Porcelain production was a closely guarded Chinese secret, but Johann Friedrich Böttger (1682-1719) experimented with different deposits of white clay – found on hills or riverbanks – until he discovered a source containing kaolin, the key ingredient of porcelain. Recording the earliest European recipe in 1708, Böttger’s first successful white porcelain pieces were modeled on […]

When alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger (1682-1719) claimed he could turn metal into gold, he was imprisoned by Augustus the Strong (reg. 1694-1733), Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, in a laboratory in the castle town of Meissen, Germany. Failing at metallurgy and desperate to save his life, Böttger guaranteed Augustus that he could fabricate […]