Meissen Cupid with Flaming Heart
About the Item
- Creator:Meissen Porcelain (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 4.53 in (11.5 cm)Diameter: 3.55 in (9 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1890
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Altrincham, GB
- Reference Number:
Meissen Porcelain
Meissen Porcelain (Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen) is one of the preeminent porcelain factories in Europe and was the first to produce true porcelain outside of Asia. It was established in 1710 under the auspices of King Augustus II “the Strong” of Saxony-Poland (1670–1733), a keen collector of Asian ceramics, particularly Ming porcelain.
In pursuing his passion, which he termed his “maladie de porcelaine,” Augustus spent vast sums, amassing some 20,000 pieces of Japanese and Chinese ceramics. These, along with examples of early Meissen, comprise the Porzellansammlung, or porcelain collection, of the Zwinger Palace, in Dresden.
The king was determined, however, to free the European market from its dependence on Asian imports and to give European artisans the freedom to create their own porcelain designs. To this end, he charged the scientist Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus and aspiring alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger with the task of using local materials to produce true, hard-paste porcelain (as opposed to the soft-paste variety European ceramists in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy and Spain had been producing since the late Renaissance). In 1709, the pair succeeded in doing just that, employing kaolin, or “china clay.” A year later, the Meissen factory was born.
In its first decades, Meissen mostly looked to Asian models, producing wares based on Japanese Kakiemon ceramics and pieces with Chinese-inflected decorations called chinoiserie. During the 1720s its painters drew inspiration from the works of Watteau, and the scenes of courtly life, fruits and flowers that adorned fashionable textiles and wallpaper. It was in this period that Meissen introduced its famous cobalt-blue crossed swords logo — derived from the arms of the Elector of Saxony as Arch-Marshal of the Holy Roman Empire — to distinguish its products from those of competing factories that were beginning to spring up around Europe.
By the 1730s, Meissen’s modelers and decorators had mastered the style of Asian ceramics, and Augustus encouraged them to develop a new, original aesthetic. The factory’s director, Count Heinrich von Brühl, used Johann Wilhelm Weinmann’s botanical drawings as the basis for a new line of wares with European-style surface decoration. The Blue Onion pattern (Zwiebelmuster), first produced in 1739, melded Asian and European influences, closely following patterns used in Chinese underglaze-blue porcelain, but replacing exotic flora and fruits with Western varieties (likely peaches and pomegranates, not onions) along with peonies and asters.
During the same period, head modeler Joachim Kändler (1706–75) began crafting delicate porcelain figures derived from the Italian commedia dell’arte. Often used as centerpieces on banquet tables and decorated to reflect the latest fashions in courtly dress for men and women, these figurines were popular in their day, and are still considered among Meissen’s most iconic creations. Kändler also created the Swan Service, which, with its complex low-relief surface design and minimal decoration is considered a masterpiece of Baroque ceramics.
The rise of Neoclassicism in the latter half of the 18th century forced Meissen to change artistic direction and begin producing monumental vases, clocks, chandeliers and candelabra. In the 20th century, Meissen added to its 18th-century repertoire decidedly modern designs, including ones in the Art Nouveau style. The 1920s saw the introduction of numerous animal figures, such as the popular sea otter (Fischotter), which graced an East German postage stamp in the 1960s. Starting in 1933, artistic freedom was limited at the factory under the Nazi regime, and after World War II, when the region became part of East Germany, it struggled to reconcile its elite past with the values of the Communist government. In 1969, however, new artistic director Karl Petermann reintroduced the early designs and fostered a new degree of artistic license. Meissen became one of the few companies to prosper in East Germany.
Owned by the State of Saxony since reunification, in 1990, Meissen continues to produce its classic designs together with new ones developed collaboratively with artists from all over the world. In addition, through its artCAMPUS program, the factory has invited distinguished ceramic artists, such as Chris Antemann and Arlene Shechet, to work in its studios in collaboration with its skilled modelers and painters. The resulting works of contemporary sculpture are inspired by Meissen’s rich and complex legacy.
Find a collection of authentic Meissen Porcelain on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Altrincham, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Meissen Cupid Fanning Hearts with BellowsBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Altrincham, GBMeissen Cupid fanning hearts with bellows from a series of 27 cupids first modelled by Heinrich Schwabe in 1878. Circa 1890 Height 19cm Model Number L108 Crossed swords in underg...Category
Antique Late 19th Century German Victorian Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen Cupid Stabbing Heart with ArrowBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Altrincham, GBMeissen Figure of cupid stabbing heart with arrow from a series of 27 cupids first modelled by Heinrich Schwabe 1878. Circa 1890 Model L10 & Painters mark 40...Category
Antique Late 19th Century German Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen Cupid Pressing Hearts TogetherBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Altrincham, GBMeissen figure of cupid pressing hearts together from the series of 27 cupids first modelled by Heinrich Schwabe 1878. Circa 1890. Model L116. Height 20cm – Diameter 9cm Blue Cro...Category
Antique Late 19th Century German Victorian Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen Cupid Lighting Hearts with Flame ‘Je Les Enflamme’By Meissen PorcelainLocated in Altrincham, GBMeissen figure of cupid lighting hearts with flame from a series of 16 each inscribed with the motto in french on the base. In this instance it says ‘Je Les Enflamme’ ‘I Ignite them’...Category
Antique Late 19th Century German Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen Cupid with Hands TiedBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Altrincham, GBMeissen figure of cupid with hands tied around back from the series of 27 cupids first modelled by Heinrich Schwabe 1878. Circa 1890. Model L102. Height 17cm – Diameter 9cm Blue ...Category
Antique Late 19th Century German Victorian Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen Cupid Caught in TrapBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Altrincham, GBMeissen figure of cupid caught in trap from the series of 27 cupids first modelled by Heinrich Schwabe 1878. Circa 1890. Model L120. Height 19cm – Diameter 9.5cm Blue Crossed Swo...Category
Antique Late 19th Century German Victorian Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Antique Meissen Porcelain Figurine of Cupid Holding an Arrow & Flaming HeartBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Hamilton, OntarioThis antique figurine was made by the renowned Meissen factory of Germany is approximately 1850 in the period Dresden style. The figurine is done in early paste porcelain and depicts a cherub, or Cupid seated on a stump, holding an arrow with an outstretched hand, and cradling a flaming heart...Category
Antique Mid-19th Century German Romantic Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsPorcelain
- 19th Century Meissen CupidBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Brighton, SussexAn enchanting late 19th century Meissen Porcelain figure of a 'Cupid' Having wonderful colouring, an under-glaze blue crossed swords mark to the ...Category
Antique Late 19th Century German Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Antique German porcelain group of Venus with Cupid by MeissenBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in London, GBAntique German porcelain group of Venus with Cupid by Meissen German, c. 1750 Height 20.5cm, width 11cm, depth 12cm This charming Meissen porce...Category
Antique Mid-18th Century German Rococo Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsPorcelain
- Pair of 19th Century Meissen Porcelain Cupid Centerpieces with BasketsBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in New York, NYPair of 19th century Meissen Porcelain compote centerpieces with cupids running after each other around a tree with filigree baskets on top with raised...Category
Antique 19th Century German Centerpieces
MaterialsPorcelain
- Early Meissen Cupid Group Around 1750, Allegory of Spring, with Additional BaseBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Vienna, ATFour scantily clad cupids grouped on a rock, partly flowers, partly holding flower arrangements in their hands, the flowers as a typical attribute of the Meissen spring representatio...Category
Antique Mid-18th Century German Rococo Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen Porcelain, Love Series: Cupid Mailing a Love Letter with Love Bird C1870By Meissen PorcelainLocated in New York, NYMeissen Porcelain, Love Series: Cupid Mailing a Love Letter with Love Bird C1870, SUPREME A Meissen porcelain figure from the Love Series: Cupid Mailing a Love Letter with a Love Bi...Category
Antique 1860s German Louis XVI Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain