$2,178
H 6.7 in W 6.3 in D 3.94 in
Meissen Porcelain 'Pantalone and Columbine' Figure, Rococo, Germany
By Johann Joachim Kaendler, Meissen Porcelain
Located in Basildon, GB
Meissen figure group of 'Pantalone and Columbine' Columbine seated holding a mask under her right arm, wearing a pink-lined green cloak and Pantalone in a salmon pink-lined cloak, ...
Porcelain
Meissen Porcelain Fall Figural Group
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in New Orleans, LA
A pair of putti holding symbols of the harvest adorn this Meissen porcelain figural group entitled Fall. Part of the company's Seasons series, these charming characters rest upon a r...
Porcelain
Meissen Porcelain Winter and Spring Figural Group
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in New Orleans, LA
Entitled Winter and Spring this Meissen Porcelain figural group features a cloaked putto staying warm by a fire (Winter) and another gathering flowers (Spring).
Porcelain
Meissen Porcelain Bacchus and Attendants Figural Group
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Bradenton, FL
Superb example of 19th Century Meissen Porcelain. Bacchus and Attendants Figural Group modeled by Ernst August Leuteritz.
Porcelain
Meissen Porcelain Summer and Fall Figural Group
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in New Orleans, LA
This beautiful Meissen Porcelain figure entitled Summer and Fall is part of the company's beloved Seasons series. The putti rest upon a rocaille-formed base holding representations o...
Porcelain
Meissen porcelain figure Group of Putti with Flowers
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Autonomous City Buenos Aires, CABA
Meissen Porcelain Figurine, Group of Putti with Flowers This Meissen porcelain figurine depicts three putti in a flower scene.
Porcelain
$46,260
H 16 in W 16 in D 12 in
Large Meissen Porcelain Group Allegory of Geography & Science, Maiden & Putties
Located in New York, NY
Most striking is the hand painted globe, where continents, coastlines, and fine linear markings are rendered with extraordinary clarity and precision. Large original Meissen figural...
Enamel
A Pair Of Meissen Porcelain Mythological Figural Groups
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A Pair Of Meissen Porcelain Mythological Figural groups, of 'Neptune and Thetis' and 'The Triumphal Procession of Amphitrite'.
Porcelain
$4,000Sale Price|20% Off
H 9 in W 7.5 in D 7.2 in
Meissen Porcelain Figure Group of a Shepherdess and Soldier
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Guaynabo, PR
This is a Meissen Porcelain figure group of a shepherdess and a soldier.
Porcelain
$52,965 / item
H 23.1 in W 17.7 in D 14.7 in
Important Meissen Porcelain Figural Clock Group on Original Marked Plinth
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Lisse, NL
An exceptional and highly important Meissen porcelain figural clock group, representing one of the manufactory’s most elaborate allegorical compositions.
Enamel, Brass
$2,723
H 8.27 in W 7.88 in D 4.73 in
19th Century Meissen Porcelain Figure Group of the Drunken Silenus
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Brighton, Sussex
A Meissen Porcelain figure group of the Drunken Silenus, late 19th century, after the model by F E Meyer, the slumped figure on the back of an ass supported by a bacchic attendant, a...
Porcelain
$4,590
H 7.29 in W 3.55 in D 3.75 in
Art Nouveau Figure Group, Dancing Couple, Alfred Koenig, Meissen Germany, 1912
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Vienna, AT
Very rare Meissen Art Nouveau porcelain group: A dancing couple in elegant casual wear: the lady in a long, fitted dress with a white skirt and black-and-green striped sleeves; on he...
Porcelain
$5,649
H 8.27 in W 8.08 in D 4.34 in
Art Nouveau Figure Group 'Tobogganers', by Alfred Koenig, Meissen Germany, 1912
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Vienna, AT
Elegant sledging couple: the lady in a long purple skirt, white jumper and white bonnet, a long green patterned scarf around her neck, high warm gaiters over her heeled shoes, the ge...
Porcelain
$4,590
H 7.09 in W 6.3 in D 4.34 in
Art Nouveau Figure Group, Ice-Scaters, by Alfred Koenig, Meissen Germany, 1910
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Vienna, AT
Delicate Meissen Art Nouveau porcelain group: A couple skating in elegant winter attire: the lady in a long white skirt with an ornate green embroidered border along the lower hem, a...
Porcelain
$5,649
H 8.27 in W 6.89 in D 3.94 in
Art Nouveau Figure Group, Ice-Scaters, by Alfred Koenig, Meissen Germany, 1910
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Vienna, AT
Delicate Meissen Art Nouveau porcelain group: A couple skating in elegant winter attire: the lady in a suit with a long skirt and jacket in white with stylised floral decoration in b...
Porcelain
$5,061
H 8.27 in W 4.34 in D 5.52 in
Art Nouveau Figure Group 'Ice-Scaters', by Alfred Koenig, Meissen Germany, 1910
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Vienna, AT
Delicate Meissen Art Nouveau porcelain group: Skating couple in elegant Winter clothing: the lady in a long white skirt, pink jacket with white hem, white cap and long ermine scarf, ...
Porcelain
$5,590
H 7.88 in W 4.34 in D 5.91 in
Art Nouveau Figure Group 'Ice-Scaters', by Alfred Koenig, Meissen Germany, 1910
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Vienna, AT
Delicate and rare Meissen Art Nouveau porcelain group: Skating couple in elegant winter clothing: The lady in a long, white skirt with a green decorated hem, green jacket and white c...
Porcelain
$14,500
H 5.75 in W 9 in D 5.5 in
Meissen Porcelain Figural Group of Musician Lovers on Sofa, After J.J. Kandler
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in New York, NY
A 19th C. Meissen Porcelain Figural Group of Musician Lovers seated on a Sofa with a Pug Dog, After J.J.
Porcelain
Meissen Porcelain Group “The Rape of Persephone”
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Autonomous City Buenos Aires, CABA
Meissen Porcelain Group “The Rape of Persephone” – Late 19th Century An exceptional Meissen porcelain figural group depicting The Rape of Persephone, masterfully modeled in high rel...
Porcelain
$3,236
H 4.93 in W 3.35 in D 2.76 in
Art Nouveau Children Group Girl With Child A. Koenig, Meissen Germany, c 1905
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Vienna, AT
Very rare Meissen Art Nouveau porcelain figure group: Girl and child in clothing from around 1900, the girl in a blue patterned long-sleeved dress with a white apron kneeling on the ...
Porcelain
$2,471
H 7.09 in W 3.15 in D 3.75 in
Art Nouveau Children Group 'Two Girls', by A. Koenig, Meissen Germany, ca 1940
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Vienna, AT
Very rare Meissen Art Nouveau porcelain figure group: Two barefoot girls in summer clothes, the older one in a green-brown skirt and white long-sleeved shirt with blue stripes, her h...
Porcelain
$3,295
H 6.7 in W 4.73 in D 4.73 in
Meissen group figure porcelain figure 'Rape of the Sabine Woman' from the Knauf
Located in Berlin, DE
Beautiful figurine group Meissen Knaufzeit. Depiction: Rape of the Sabine Woman. Design by Johann Joachim Kaendler. Manufactured around 1900. Underglaze blue crossed swords M...
Porcelain
$15,000
H 9.25 in W 8.5 in D 7.5 in
A Beautiful Meissen Porcelain Monkey Grouping with Gilt Highlights
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in New York, NY
A Meissen porcelain figural group depicting a family of monkeys gathered around a central tree.
Porcelain
$510
H 10.24 in W 6.7 in D 3.94 in
A late 19th century German Sitzendorf porcelain monkey and coconut wall bracket
By Sitzendorf
Located in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire
During these years of the 19th century Sitzendorf where generally producing Meissen style wares and their figural groups were often more Romantic in style and this is a clear departu...
Porcelain
Meissen Group by Kaendler, Musical Children, circa 1755
By Frederick Kandler, Meissen Porcelain
Located in Geelong, Victoria
Meissen figure group of musical children, with a semi-clad girl & boy seated in a large yellow upholstered stool with gilt fringe and tassels, singing from an open book with musical ...
Porcelain
Meissen Apple Picking Group
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Altrincham, GB
Meissen Porcelain Figure group of Apple Pickers late 19th Century after a model by J.J.
Porcelain
Meissen porcelain shepherd & shepherdess, c. 1770.
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Gargrave, North Yorkshire
A 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...
Porcelain
Sold
H 7.09 in W 5.52 in D 5.32 in
Rare Meissen Figure Group 'Cupids On Dolphin' by Heinrich Schwabe Circa 1890
By Heinrich Schwabe 1, Meissen Porcelain
Located in Vienna, AT
Very rare and loving porcelain figure group of the 19th century: Two cupids with a dolphin on a restless sea, one of the boys dressed only in cloths sitting on the animal's back and ...
Porcelain
Sold
H 5 in W 3.5 in D 3 in
Antique German Meissen Figural Hand-Painted & Gilt Porcelain Pianist, circa 1880
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Big Flats, NY
Antique German Meissen figural group features pianist playing her clavichord piano, hand-painted with gilt highlights, crossed sword mark on base, circa 1880.
Porcelain
Meissen 'Spanish Lovers' , Model 230
By Meissen Porcelain, Johann Joachim Kaendler
Located in Basildon, GB
Meissen figure group of 'Spanish Lovers' The girl with blue bodice and floral pattern skirt, her companion with red coloured jacket and matching gilt-edged knee breeches, underglaz...
Porcelain
Meissen 'Pantalone and Columbine' , Model 279
By Meissen Porcelain, Johann Joachim Kaendler
Located in Basildon, GB
Meissen figure group of 'Pantalone and Columbine' Columbine seated holding a mask under her right arm, wearing a pink-lined green cloak and Pantalone in a salmon pink-lined cloak, ...
Porcelain
Meissen 19th Century Porcelain Figural Group
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Montreal, QC
This charming group is a Scene Galante... idealizing love and rusticity. They are simply dressed, he has a tear in this coat. She has a frilly cap like a peasant girl and a little do...
Porcelain
Antique German Meissen School Porcelain Figural Group, Classical Cherubs
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Big Flats, NY
An antique German Meissen school hand painted porcelain figural group features Classical cherubs in countryside or garden setting, gilt highlights throughout, circa 1890 Measures ...
Porcelain
Sold
H 5.5 in W 8.5 in D 3.5 in
Antique German Meissen Hand-Painted & Gilt Porcelain Litter Figural Group
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Big Flats, NY
Antique German Meissen Porcelain features hand-painted and gilt figural group including two Colonial carriage handlers carrying a floral decorated litter with female passenger, possi...
Porcelain
Antique German Meissen School Sea Nymph Figural Group, circa 1880
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Big Flats, NY
Antique German Meissen School, possibly Schierholz, hand painted porcelain figural group depicting sea nymph on her horse drawn shell-shaped carriage, circa 1880.
Porcelain
Sold
H 14 in W 11 in D 7.5 in
Antique German Meissen School Hand-Painted Porcelain Erotic Figural Group
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Big Flats, NY
Antique German Meissen school hand-painted and gold gilt porcelain figural group depicts young man and woman in woodland stream setting, blue crown maker mark on base, circa 1890.
Porcelain
Sold
H 8.25 in W 8.75 in D 4 in
Antique German Meissen School Porcelain Figural Group, Courting Scene, 20th C
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Big Flats, NY
An antique German figural group in the manner of Meissen offers hand painted and gilt porcelain courting scene with young man and woman in countryside setting, early 20th century ...
Porcelain
Sold
H 8.5 in W 8.5 in D 4.5 in
Antique Meissen "Europa on the Bull" Porcelain Figural Group, circa 1880
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Austin, TX
This famous porcelain group depicts the myth of Europa being captivated by Zeus in the form of a beautiful white bull. Meissen's renowned artists capture every detail in full, gorgeo...
Porcelain
Sold
H 8.08 in W 4.73 in D 4.73 in
Art Nouveau Figure Group 'Ice-Scater', by Alfred Koenig, Meissen Germany, 1910
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Vienna, AT
Extremely rare Meissen Art Nouveau porcelain group: Ice-skating couple in elegant winter clothing: the lady in a long, white skirt with a colorfully decorated hem, a green jacket wi...
Porcelain
Sold
H 20 in W 24 in D 3 in
A Large Meissen Porcelain Mythological Figure Centerpiece, *Neptune and Thetis*
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in New York, NY
An exceptionally rare and large Meissen porcelain mythological figure centerpiece titled *Neptune and Thetis*, produced in the late 19th century by the renowned Meissen porcelain man...
Porcelain
Sold
H 12.5 in W 9 in D 7 in
Antique German Porcelain Classical Figural Group, Romanesque, Signed, circa 1880
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Big Flats, NY
Antique German highly detailed hand-painted Classical figural group depicts young family and dog, Romanesque garb, possibly Meissen, blue underglaze mark illegible, artist signed B.J...
Porcelain
Sold
H 7.5 in W 8 in D 5 in
Antique German Meissen School Hand Painted and Gilt Porcelain Figural Group
Located in Big Flats, NY
An antique German Meissen School porcelain figural group by Limbach featuring hand painted and gilt courting scene in parlor setting, blue crown and double "C" mark on base, circa 18...
Porcelain
Sold
H 5.71 in W 10.04 in D 5.91 in
Meissen Art Nouveau Figurine Group, Children With Doll, Konrad Hentschel, 20th C
By Julius Konrad Hentschel, Meissen Porcelain
Located in Vienna, AT
Finest Meissen porcelain figure group: Two girls in patterned dresses with their hair tied up, flanked by two small children in long shirts, sitting on an elongated flat stone pedest...
Porcelain
Meissen Porcelain Figure Group of Apple Pickers
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Meissen Porcelain Figure Group of Apple Pickers Germany, 20th century This exquisite Meissen Porcelain Figure Group of Apple Pickers, made in Germany during the 20th century, stand...
Porcelain
Sold
H 15 in W 10.5 in D 8 in
Antique German Meissen Porcelain Figural Group, Classical Courting Couple
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Big Flats, NY
Antique German Meissen hand-painted and gilt porcelain figural group depicts Classical Roman courting couple conversing over doves seated on a pedestal decorated with cherubi, floral...
Porcelain
Sold
H 9.75 in W 9.5 in D 7 in
Antique German Meissen Hand Painted Porcelain Cupid Figural Group, c1890
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Big Flats, NY
An antique German figural group by Meissen offers hand painted mother or woman with pen and child or cherub with inkwell in countryside setting, crossed sword mark on base as photogr...
Porcelain
Sold
H 8 in W 6.5 in D 4.75 in
Meissen Figural Group of a Romantic Couple Eating Grapes with Their Lamb
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Boston, MA
Price of Meissen figural group-$2800.00.
Porcelain
Sold
H 6 in W 5.63 in D 3.75 in
Antique Meissen Figural Group of Girl and Boy with Two Birds Out of Their Cage
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Boston, MA
Meissen figural group of girl and boy with two birds out of their cage.
Porcelain
Lovely Meissen Figure Group with Dog Germany 19th Century
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Redding, CA
The polychrome enamels are so colorful, and the painting is expert. Meissen was and is the leader in the production of figures and groups and just porcelains in general.
Sold
H 11 in W 8 in D 8 in
Large Meissen Figural Group of Gardeners That Are in Love Gathering Flowers
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Boston, MA
This is a wonderful large Meissen figurine of gardeners who are in love. He has a shovel and she has a watering can. They are in their garden picking flowers, and putting them into t...
Porcelain
Sold
H 8.27 in W 7.88 in D 3.94 in
19th Century Figure Group of ''Drunken Silenus'', Meissen Porcelain
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Firenze, IT
Group of figures ''Drunk Silenus'', Meissen Porcelain, painted in polychrome and gold. It represents a group of bacchae standing on a stylized rocky pedestal, in the center the dr...
Porcelain
Meissen Porcelain Group, ‘Sight’, circa 1870
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Gargrave, North Yorkshire
£690.00 Meissen porcelain figure group ‘Sight’, circa 1870.
Porcelain
Meissen Porcelain Group, ‘Touch’, circa 1870
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Gargrave, North Yorkshire
Meissen Porcelain figure group ‘Touch’, circa 1870.
Porcelain
Meissen Porcelain Group of Dogs, C. 1870
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Gargrave, North Yorkshire
Meissen porcelain figure group of dogs, c. 1870. Modelled after Kaendler, the group is finely modelled as two Bolognese Spaniels, and a pug dog, set upon a shaped grassy mound base, ...
Porcelain
Meissen porcelain group of children, c. 1880.
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Gargrave, North Yorkshire
Meissen porcelain figure group, c. 1880. Finely modelled as two children wearing 18th Century costume.
Porcelain
Meissen porcelain group ‘Europa and the Bull’, c. 1870.
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Gargrave, North Yorkshire
Meissen porcelain figure group, Europa and the Bull, c. 1870.
Porcelain
Meissen Figural Grouping
Located in Kilmarnock, VA
A 19th century Meissen porcelain figural group of the Capture of Tritons, after a model by J.
Antique Meissen Figural Group of Lady Depicting the Sense of Smell
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Boston, MA
Antique Meissen figural group of lady depicting the sense of smell dating from 1880s-1890s.
Porcelain
Sold
H 4.7 in W 3.6 in D 3.6 in
Meissen Model of a Woman Emblematic of ‘hearing’ from a Series of the Senses
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in London, GB
A 19th century Meissen figure group of a lady seated at a piano from the Senses Series "Sound",. bears blue cross swords, marks to base and incised "E1" and with impressed marks to b...
Porcelain
19th Century Meissen Porcelain Figural Group of a Courting Couple
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Washington Crossing, PA
A Meissen Porcelain figural group of a courting couple, 1815-1860, with blue underglazed crossed swords mark to underside, incised "612" and impressed "122.".
Porcelain
Travertine Cat or Dog Bowl Set
By Kiwano Concept
Located in Eindhoven, NB
Unique and Stunning Pet bowl made of travertine stone. Expertly crafted and finished by hand, our travertine bowls are a study in sculptural simplicity. Natural variations in the sto...
Travertine
$4,900 / item
H 34 in W 86 in D 42 in
Custom Made Modern English Arm Sofa in Performance Linen Velvet - 86"
By Bloom Home Inc
Located in Old Town Orange, CA
This beautiful english arm sofa has a modern twist, with its single bench cushion, and beautiful curved apron sides. It’s upholstered in a Linen Velvet Performance fabric. Shown in...
Linen, Velvet
1970s Individual Hand Painted Porcelain Tureen with Inscription
Located in Marbella, ES
1970s Individual hand painted Porcelain Tureen with Inscription.
Porcelain
1970s Individual Hand-Painted Porcelain Tureen with Inscription
Located in Marbella, ES
1970s Individual Hand-Painted Porcelain Tureen with Inscription.
Porcelain
$7,650
H 1.38 in Dm 9.22 in
18th Century Meissen Set 12 Baroque Porcelain Dining Dishes with Floral Decor
By Meissen Porcelain
Located in Brescia, IT
This baroque dining colorfully dishes set is eclectical and drawn with vibrant colors. The board is in a contemporary fuchsia color. Precious, fine, elegant and timeless dining set...
Meissen
$42,500 / set
H 34.25 in W 24 in D 23 in
Four Louis XV Style Gilt-Wood Chinoiserie Bergères, Jansen Attr., 1890
By Maison Jansen
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Fine and Rare Assembled Set of Four French Louis XV Style Gilt-Wood Carved and Japanned-Chinoiserie Lacquer Decorated Bergers Armchairs, attributed to Maison Jansen (House of Janse...
Velvet, Giltwood, Lacquer
$187,500
H 102 in W 84.5 in D 22.5 in
Exceptional 19th Century English Chinoiserie Pagoda Display Cabinet
Located in Houston, TX
Large-scale 19th century English display cabinet executed in the Chinoiserie tradition. Constructed in carved mahogany and conceived as a tripartite architectural façade, each glazed...
Glass, Mahogany
$3,500 / set
H 19.69 in Dm 19.69 in
19th Century Porcelain Dinner Service from the Maison Charles Pillivuyt et Cie
By Charles Pillivuyt & Cie
Located in LA CIOTAT, FR
A gorgeous dinner service from the Maison Charles Pillivuyt et Cie, a manufacturer of high-quality porcelain founded in 1818. Each piece is hand-painted with a delicate rose- pink bo...
Porcelain
Fine Italian Porcelain Dinner Service, Verbano Laveno, 20th Century
Located in PARIS, FR
FINE ITALIAN PORCELAIN DINNER SERVICE, VERBANO LAVENO, 20TH CENTURY The Verbano Laveno dinner service, originating from the 20th century, boasts exquisite craftsmanship and timeless...
Porcelain
French Art Deco Period Full Size Brass Bed
Located in Bradenton, FL
A French 1920’s full size brass bed. The square Art Deco frame is decorated with bands of pierced cast brass, flat twisted posts, and mesh panels. The legs of the headboard finish wi...
Metal, Brass, Iron
$367Sale Price|20% Off
H 5.91 in Dm 9.45 in
Antique French Soup Tureen, Saint Amande Hamage, Soup Bowl, Terrine, France
Located in Greven, DE
Beautiful antique soup tureen by the ceramic manufacturer "Saint Amand et Hamage (Nord)". Stamp at the bottom. France, circa 1900.
Ceramic
Edwardian Tiffany & Co. Sterling Silver 13-Piece Vanity Set
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in Cincinnati, OH
Edwardian Tiffany & Co sterling silver 13-piece vanity set. This Edwardian sterling silver gentleman's dresser set was made by Tiffany & Company in the early part of the 20th century...
Sterling Silver
$25,950
H 32.29 in W 80.71 in D 35.44 in
19th Century Pair of Antique Sofas in the Manner of Howard and Sons
Located in Miami, FL
This sofas have high sides and back which is cosy in front of a fire or anywhere. The high sides are sprung and have built in down cushions. This makes them supremely comfortable if ...
Fabric, Walnut
$99,281
W 80.71 in L 124.02 in
Tapestry Royal Manufacture of Aubusson, Louis XVI period 1738 at the Gobelins
By Aubusson Manufacture
Located in Madrid, ES
Tapestry from the Royal Manufacture of Aubusson, Louis XVI period , made in 1738 at the Gobelins One panel from a series of Gobelins tapestries depicting the Hi...
Wool, Silk
Venetian Monumental Seated Bird Cage
Located in Queens, NY
Italian Venetian style (20th Cent) octagonal shaped painted and decorated metal and wood bird cage with 8 upholstered seat and back cushions around base. (Franco Zefferelli Collection)
Metal
$1,575 / item
W 10.5 in D 10.5 in
Wonderful Service 12 Minton Ovington's Raised Gold Hand Painted Dinner Plates
By Minton, Ovington Brother At New York
Located in Roslyn, NY
A Wonderful Service Of 12 Minton Raised Gold Hand Painted Dinner Plates Retailed By Ovington's New York, Seem To Have Never Been Used Some Retaining Original Sticker.
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.
Today you’re likely to bring out your antique and vintage porcelain in order to dress up your dining table for a special meal.
Porcelain, a durable and nonporous kind of pottery made from clay and stone, was first made in China and spread across the world owing to the trade routes to the Far East established by Dutch and Portuguese merchants. Given its origin, English speakers called porcelain “fine china,” an expression you still might hear today. "Fine" indeed — for over a thousand years, it has been a highly sought-after material.
Meissen Porcelain, one of the first factories to create real porcelain outside Asia, popularized figurine centerpieces during the 18th century in Germany, while works by Capodimonte, a porcelain factory in Italy, are synonymous with flowers and notoriously hard to come by. Modern porcelain houses such as Maison Fragile of Limoges, France — long a hub of private porcelain manufacturing — keep the city’s long tradition alive while collaborating with venturesome contemporary artists such as illustrator Jean-Michel Tixier.
Porcelain is not totally clumsy-guest-proof, but it is surprisingly durable and easy to clean. Its low permeability and hardness have rendered porcelain wares a staple in kitchens and dining rooms as well as a common material for bathroom sinks and dental veneers. While it is tempting to store your porcelain behind closed glass cabinet doors and reserve it only for display, your porcelain dinner plates and serving platters can safely weather the “dangers” of the dining room and be used during meals.
Add different textures and colors to your table with dinner plates and pitchers of ceramic and silver or a porcelain lidded tureen, a serving dish with side handles that is often used for soups. Although porcelain and ceramic are both made in a kiln, porcelain is made with more refined clay and is stronger than ceramic because it is denser.
On 1stDibs, browse an expansive collection of antique and vintage porcelain made in a variety of styles, including Regency, Scandinavian modern and other examples produced during the mid-century era, plus Rococo, which found its inspiration in nature and saw potters crafting animal figurines and integrating organic motifs such as floral patterns in their work.