Magnificent and Rare 19th Century Life-Sized Meissen Porcelain, Turkey
View Similar Items
Magnificent and Rare 19th Century Life-Sized Meissen Porcelain, Turkey
About the Item
- Creator:Meissen Porcelain (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 27 in (68.58 cm)Width: 21 in (53.34 cm)Depth: 15.5 in (39.37 cm)
- Style:Rococo (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1860
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: f919519010213181051fs
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.
- Pair 19th Century Meissen Porcelain Chinoiserie Style of Nodding Pagoda FiguresBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in New York, NYA large rare pair of 19th century Meissen Chinoiserie style Nodding Pagoda Figures with Movable Head, Hand and Tongue, known as a "Nodder'. This Unusual...Category
Antique 1850s German Rococo Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsPorcelain
- Large Pair of 19th Century Meissen Porcelain "Day & Night" Figures of PuttiBy Heinrich Schwabe 1, Meissen PorcelainLocated in New York, NYA Fantastic and Large Pair of 19th Century Meissen Porcelain "Day & Night" Figures of Putti. Each is beautifully hand-carved and hand-painted by the finest Meissen artists. They are both gorgeous with draped attire and a plethora of various day and night based attributes. Day is seen wearing a pink...Category
Antique 1870s German Rococo Busts
MaterialsPorcelain
- 19th Century Meissen Porcelain Figure of a Malabar Man on a RhinocerosBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in New York, NYA fantastic 19th century Meissen Porcelain orientalist/Turkish figure of a Malabar Man seated on a rhinoceros. This is a rare and beautiful group made by...Category
Antique 19th Century German Chinoiserie Animal Sculptures
MaterialsPorcelain
$12,640 Sale Price20% Off - Rare 18th Century Meissen Porcelain Group of a Thalia with a Harlequin ChildBy Meissen Porcelain, J.J. KändlerLocated in New York, NYAn important, extremely rare, and rather large 18th century Meissen Porcelain Group of a Thalia with a Harlequin Child, By Johann Joachim (J.J.) Kändler, Circa: 1744. This is an incredible and extremely rare 18th century Meissen Porcelain piece modeled by the greatest Meissen modeler ever in the Company, Johann Joachim (J.J.) Kändler. Thalia can be seen seated on a gorgeous hand-carved and hand-painted flowered and vined porcelain pedestal. Her right arm is raised holding a Phantom of the Opera Black and White Mask, while in her other arm is a young Harlequin dancing and singing holding a hat. Thalia is wearing a gilt-edged dark blue bodice with white floral decorations over a black corset draped in a red-over-yellow robe...Category
Antique 18th Century German Rococo Busts
MaterialsPorcelain
$101,280 Sale Price20% Off - 19th C Meissen Porcelain Allegorical Group of Three Putti with Musical MotifsBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in New York, NYA Beautiful 19th century Meissen Porcelain allegorical grouping of three putti with musical Motifs. One putti is seen with a trumpet in his hand, the other putti is seen playing a ly...Category
Antique 1870s German Rococo Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsPorcelain
- Unusual 19th Century Meissen Figure of a Camel after a Model by J. J. KandlerBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in New York, NYA unusual 19th century Meissen figure of a camel with blue under-glaze double crossed swords mark, after J.J. Kandler. Naturalistically modeled above a rocky outcrop on a scroll-mol...Category
Antique 1850s German Rococo Animal Sculptures
MaterialsPorcelain
- Antique German Meissen Continental Porcelain Parrot Bird Green Gilt 19th CenturyBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Dublin, IrelandVery Stylish German Meissen Glazed Porcelain Parrot of exceptional quality, last quarter of the Nineteenth Century. Naturalistically modelled and perched on a tree stump above a roc...Category
Antique 19th Century German Late Victorian Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsCeramic, Porcelain, Pottery
- Meissen Porcelain Revelry GroupsBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in New Orleans, LAThis charming pair of Meissen porcelain figures celebrates the essence of Revelry. First modeled by the renowned Johann Joachim Kändler on bases by Peter Reinicke, circa 1767, these ...Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Rococo Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsPorcelain
- Large, Rare, Antique Meissen Pogade in Hand Painted Porcelain, Late 19th CenturyLocated in Copenhagen, DKLarge, rare and antique Meissen figure in hand painted porcelain with mobile head, tongue and hands. Museum quality, late 19th century. In very good condition Measures: 30 x 26.5 ...Category
Antique Late 19th Century German Porcelain
MaterialsMetal
$9,600 Sale Price20% Off - Cupid, Glazed Porcelain, Etc. Possibly Meissen, 19th CenturyLocated in Madrid, ESCupid. Glazed porcelain, etc. Possibly Meissen, 19th century. With sticker on the base. It presents restorations. Porcelain figurine that presents an oval and golden base on which Cupid is reclining, characterized as usual by his wings, his bow and his quiver with arrows. In addition, he carries a torch and appears with a garland of leaves. The piece presents strong similarities with figures found in clocks from Meissen, dating from the 19th century. VL Veneziani was a shop headquartered on Rome's Via Frattina (and another store on Via Gregoriana) specializing in selling antique...Category
Antique 19th Century European Neoclassical Revival Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsOther
- Very Large Pair of 19th Century Meissen Day and Night FiguresBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Los Angeles, CAA magnificent pair of very large Meissen putti representing Day & Night by Heinrich Schwabe. Each figure wrapped in a cloth, float above the earth's atmo...Category
Antique 1870s German Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsPorcelain
- 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