Pair Meissen porcelain covered and hen, c. 1920.
About the Item
- Creator:Meissen Porcelain (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 10.83 in (27.5 cm)Width: 10.83 in (27.5 cm)Depth: 4.02 in (10.2 cm)
- Style:Georgian (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:Porcelain,Fired
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1920
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Gargrave, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4397137549462
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: Gargrave, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- Pair of Meissen porcelain pot pourri & covers, c. 1870.By Meissen PorcelainLocated in Gargrave, North YorkshireA fine pair of Meissen porcelain pot pourri and cover, c. 1870. Modelled in Marcolini Period style, each pot pourri having pierced shoulders, supported upon three angular feet, with ...Category
Antique 1870s German Victorian Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen porcelain shepherd & shepherdess, c. 1770.By Meissen PorcelainLocated in Gargrave, North YorkshireA fine pair of Meissen porcelain figure groups, c.1765 -1775. Elaborately modelled by Carl Christoph Punct, as a shepherd and shepherdess, in 18th Century dress, and set upon open ro...Category
Antique 1770s German Georgian Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen ‘Puce Ground’ Porcelain Bowl, C. 1740By Meissen PorcelainLocated in Gargrave, North YorkshireMeissen porcelain bowl, c. 1740. The puce ground bowl, finely painted to the front, with a shaped panel, contains a couple wearing 18th Century costume, seated in a rural landscape. ...Category
Antique 1740s German Georgian Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Pair Meissen figures ‘Vintner & Companion’, c. 1870.By Meissen PorcelainLocated in Gargrave, North YorkshirePair Meissen porcelain ‘Vintners & Companion’, c. 1870. £1,550.00 A fine pair of Meissen porcelain figures, c. 1870. Modelled after Michel Victor Acier, and based on a drawing by Jo...Category
Antique 1870s German Georgian Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Hochst porcelain teapot & cover, c. 1755.By Höchst PorcelainLocated in Gargrave, North YorkshireHochst porcelain teapot and cover, c. 1755. The globular body, hand painted with a farmer and a shepherdess, seated beneath a tree, on a riverbank. The man holds a footed bowl of fru...Category
Antique 1750s German Georgian Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Pair FBB Worcester porcelain tureens & covers, Imari, c. 1810.By Barr, Flight & Barr WorcesterLocated in Gargrave, North YorkshireAn exceptionally fine pair of Barr, Flight and Barr Worcester porcelain sauce tureens, and covers, c. 1810. Both urn form tureens moulded with twin gilt eagle mask handles, holding c...Category
Antique 1810s English Regency Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Small oval Meissen porcelain openwork dish, 1920sBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Delft, NLSmall oval Meissen porcelain openwork dish, 1920s An oval small dish by Meissen. An openwork porcelain dish with floral pattern. The rim is openwork porcelain and has 4 in cartouche...Category
Early 20th Century German Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Pair 18th C. Meissen Porcelain Covered Tureens w/ 19th C. French Ormolu MountsBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in New York, NYA Pair of 18th Century Meissen Porcelain Marcolini Period Covered Tureens with 19th Century French Ormolu Mounts. These tureens show the combination of iconic French and German porc...Category
Antique 19th Century German Louis XVI Porcelain
MaterialsBronze
- Porcelain Meissen CockatooBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Lisboa, PTPorcelain Meissen cockatoo from 18th century. The Meissen porcelain factory has gained a reputation for its production of exquisite, high-quality por...Category
Antique 18th Century German Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen milk jug and cover, circa 1760By Meissen PorcelainLocated in Maidstone, GBMeissen milk jug and cover, of baluster shape with wishbone handle and shell spout, painted with two park scene's beneath osier neck and cover, floral top, c.1760, height 16cm, under...Category
Antique 1760s German Rococo Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Pair of Antique Porcelain Sconces by MeissenBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in London, GBPair of antique porcelain sconces by Meissen German, late 19th Century Measures: Height 57cm, width 38cm, depth 10cm This fine pair of Ge...Category
Antique Late 19th Century German Rococo Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsPorcelain
- Pair of Heart Shaped Meissen Porcelain CandleholdersBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in London, GBEach candleholder finely detailed to the centre with an image of playing cards to one side and crest on the reverses, each image contained within a gilt circle, further enhanced with...Category
Antique 19th Century German Romantic Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain