Porcelain Vase from Meissen, Germany, 1930´s
View Similar Items
Porcelain Vase from Meissen, Germany, 1930´s
About the Item
- Creator:Meissen Porcelain (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 11.82 in (30 cm)Width: 5.52 in (14 cm)Depth: 5.52 in (14 cm)
- Style:Art Deco (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1930
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Prague 8, CZ
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3318322955552
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.
- Tubular Steel Flower Stand Bauhaus, 1930´s, CzechoslovakiaLocated in Prague 8, CZAn example of the Czechoslovak functionalist period – a chrome-plated flower stand made of bent tubes and pastic. It was made in the 1930´s. The stand is in very good Vintage conditi...Category
Mid-20th Century Czech Bauhaus Side Tables
MaterialsChrome
$1,177 Sale Price30% Off - Art Deco Table Lamp Rosenthal, 1930's, GermanyLocated in Prague 8, CZPorcelain Art Deco table lamp in the shape of a mushroom. The lamp stands out for its extraordinary shapes typical of the Art Deco period. It was made by the famous Rosenthal compan...Category
Mid-20th Century German Art Deco Table Lamps
MaterialsPorcelain, Fabric
$519 Sale Price50% Off - German Art Deco Dining Set in Oak, 1930sLocated in Prague 8, CZThis very elegant dining set seats four people and features an adjustable oak dining table with four chairs. It has been made in Germany in the 1930s. The set has been professionally...Category
Vintage 1930s German Art Deco Dining Room Sets
MaterialsFabric, Upholstery, Wood, Bentwood, Oak
$2,446 Sale Price / set36% Off - German sewing table on Wheels from the 1970sLocated in Prague 8, CZThis sewing table on wheels was made in Germany in the 1970s. It can also be used, for example, as a serving table or great interior decoration. It features a metal structure and an...Category
Late 20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Serving Tables
MaterialsIron
$191 Sale Price30% Off - Pre-War Table Lamp, 1930's, CzechoslovakiaLocated in Prague 8, CZPrw-war table lamp in the shape of a mushroom. It was made in the former Czechoslovakia in the 1930´s. Overall, it is in very good condition, fully functio...Category
Mid-20th Century Czech Art Deco Table Lamps
MaterialsFabric, Fiberglass
$336 Sale Price30% Off - ART DECO sofa, 1930´s, CzechoslovakiaLocated in Prague 8, CZThis ART DECO style sofa with a storage space was designed and made in the 1930´s in the former Czechoslovakia. This simple design fits into the context of the design creation in Cze...Category
Mid-20th Century Czech Art Deco Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Wood, Walnut
$840 Sale Price30% Off
- Pair of German Porcelain Vases, Meissen, circa 1745By Meissen PorcelainLocated in New York, NYPair of German porcelain vases, Meissen, circa 1745.Category
Antique Mid-18th Century German Vases
MaterialsPorcelain
$17,500 / set - Meissen Porcelain Pot-Pourri Vase, Germany, 19th CenturyBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Buenos Aires, Buenos AiresMeissen porcelain pot-pourri vase, Germany, 19th century.Category
Antique Late 19th Century German Rococo Vases
MaterialsPorcelain
- Large 19th Century German Gilt-Trimmed Meissen Porcelain VaseBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in New York, NY19th century German large blue and white Meissen porcelain vase with gilt trim and scroll handles.Category
Antique 19th Century German Napoleon III Porcelain
MaterialsGold
- Meissen Porcelain Urn Snake Handles Amphora, GermanyBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in New York, NYAn antique Meissen porcelain urn with snake handles amphora, circa early-20th century, Germany. This Meissen urn is hard-paste porcelain, hand painted, fea...Category
Early 20th Century German Urns
MaterialsPorcelain
- Antique German Meissen Dresden Porcelain Snake Handle Mantel Urn Vase 12"By Meissen PorcelainLocated in Dayton, OH"Meissen porcelain or Meissen china was the first European hard-paste porcelain. Early experiments were done in 1708 by Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus. After his death that Octob...Category
20th Century Urns
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen Porcelain Three-Vase Garniture with Ormolu MountsBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in London, GBMeissen porcelain three-vase garniture with ormolu mounts Porcelain: German, c. 1770 Ormolu: French, 19th century Measures: Large vase: Height 31cm, width 19cm, depth 15cm Smalle...Category
Antique Late 18th Century French Rococo Vases
MaterialsBronze, Ormolu