Pair of 18th Century Chinese & Meissen Famille Verte Porcelain Plates
About the Item
- Creator:Meissen Porcelain (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 0.5 in (1.27 cm)Diameter: 8.75 in (22.23 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Chinese Export (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1662-1722
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Chinese (left): Very good. Three minor rim chips, the largest measuring 0.2 cm. Scattered, minor firing imperfections throughout. Meissen (right): Good. Light gilding wear, mainly to rim. Wear to enamels, notably on the foot of the jardiniere.
- Seller Location:Fort Lauderdale, FL
- 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: Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- Shipwrecked 18th Century Blue and White Chinese Porcelain Butter TubLocated in Fort Lauderdale, FLA Chinese export butter tub, made in the mid 18th century, salvaged from the Hatcher Porcelain Cargoes. Salvaged from the bottom of the South China Sea by Captain Michael Hatcher...Category
Antique Mid-18th Century Chinese Chinese Export Ceramics
MaterialsPorcelain
- 18th Century Italian Doccia Porcelain Dinner ServiceBy Doccia PorcelainLocated in Fort Lauderdale, FLA dinner service comprising six dinner dishes and six soup dishes made by the Doccia Porcelain Manufactory, circa 1750. Italy was the site of Europ...Category
Antique Mid-18th Century Italian Rococo Dinner Plates
MaterialsPorcelain
- 18th Century Worcester Blind Earl Porcelain DishBy 1st Period Worcester Dr. Wall, James GilesLocated in Fort Lauderdale, FLA Worcester Blind Earl porcelain plate made circa 1770 with beautifully enamelled decoration of butterflies and insects among raised leaf and rose...Category
Antique 1770s English Rococo Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- 18th Century Chinese Export Porcelain Punch BowlLocated in Fort Lauderdale, FLA mid-18th century Chinese export porcelain punch bowl, hand-painted with "The Judgement of Paris" after Rubens. European ceramicists borrowed motifs from Chinese porcelains through...Category
Antique 1760s Chinese Chinese Export Decorative Bowls
MaterialsPorcelain
- 18th Century Meissen Marcolini Silhouette Cup and SaucerBy Meissen Porcelain, Gottlob Samuel MohnLocated in Fort Lauderdale, FLA Meissen porcelain cup and saucer from the Marcolini period, dating around 1795, decorated with silhouette designs attributed to Samu...Category
Antique 1790s German Neoclassical Tea Sets
MaterialsPorcelain
- 19th Century Minton Ornithological Porcelain DessertBy MintonLocated in Fort Lauderdale, FLA partial dessert service by Minton, hand-painted with ornithological scenes after designs by Joseph Smith. The service comprises two small compotes and four dessert dishes. This Minton dessert...Category
Antique Mid-19th Century British Victorian Tableware
MaterialsPorcelain
- Chinese Porcelain Plate with Dragon Decoration "Famille Verte" 18th CenturyLocated in Beuzevillette, FRVery beautiful porcelain plate of the green family with dragon decoration in the 18th century. The decoration is finely executed by hand, we see a green and golden dragon, with friez...Category
Antique 18th Century Chinese Ceramics
MaterialsCeramic
- Pair of Chinese Export Famille Verte PillowsLocated in West Palm Beach, FLPair of Chinese Export Famille Verte pillows, Rare to find a pair, each one decorated with figures in landscape, opposing, presents...Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Ceramics
MaterialsPorcelain
- Pair of 18th Century Chinese Export Porcelain Famille Rose Covered JarsLocated in New York, NYPair of 18th century Chinese export Famille Rose porcelain covered jars. Spring flowers sprout from jagged rocks while exotic birds peer over the lush garden. There are delicately en...Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Chinese Ceramics
MaterialsPorcelain
- Early 20th Century Chinese Porcelain Bucket Vase, Famille VerteLocated in Vigonza, PaduaBeautiful big bucket vase with two steel handles, Famille verte. Excellent decorated with women and young boys in a walled garden and princess on horseback...Category
Antique 18th Century Chinese Chinese Chippendale Ceramics
MaterialsCeramic, Porcelain
- Pair of 19th Century Chinese Export Famille Verte Yellow Dragon Motif MugsLocated in West Palm Beach, FLPair of 19th century Chinese Export Famille Verte yellow Dragon motif mugs, Each one decorated with a four toed dragon within a yellow floral background....Category
Antique 19th Century Chinese Chinese Export Ceramics
MaterialsPorcelain
- Kangxi Famille Verte Porcelain Large Dish, Qing Dynasty, 17th/18th cLocated in Austin, TXA large and magnificent Chinese famille verte enameled porcelain large dish or charger, Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Period (1662 - 1722), circa 1700, China. The shallow, shaped dish of fo...Category
Antique Early 1700s Chinese Qing Ceramics
MaterialsEnamel