Set of 6 Meissen Porcelain Dessert Plates, White, Hand Painted Birds, 1852-1870
View Similar Items
Set of 6 Meissen Porcelain Dessert Plates, White, Hand Painted Birds, 1852-1870
About the Item
- Creator:Meissen Porcelain (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 0.5 in (1.27 cm)Diameter: 8 in (20.32 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 6
- Style:Victorian (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1852-1870
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Excellent condition without damage, repairs or wear other than some light rubbing.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:Seller: A-MEI011stDibs: LU4805119698002
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.
- Ridgway Porcelain Plate, Green with Hand Painted Flowers, Regency ca 1825By Ridgway PorcelainLocated in London, GBThis is a very beautiful plate made by Ridgway around 1825, which is known as the Regency period. The plate has a deep green ground and hand painted flowers, and would have formed pa...Category
Antique 1820s English Regency Dinner Plates
MaterialsPorcelain
- Flight Barr & Barr Porcelain Dessert Plate, Rich Imari, Regency, circa 1815By Flight, Barr & Barr WorcesterLocated in London, GBThis is a stunning dessert plate made by Flight Barr & Barr around the year 1815. It is decorated with what is often called the "Rich Imari" pattern, and sometimes the "crazy Japan" ...Category
Antique 1810s English Regency Dinner Plates
MaterialsPorcelain
- Coalport Porcelain Plate, Rose du Barry Pink, Fruits by Jabey Aston, circa 1870By Coalport Porcelain, Jabey AstonLocated in London, GBThis is a very rare plate made by Coalport in about 1870. The plate has a bright "rose du barry" pink rim and beautiful fruits in its centre painted by the famous porcelain artist Ja...Category
Antique 1870s English Victorian Dinner Plates
MaterialsPorcelain
- Samuel Alcock Set of 4 Plates, Pastel Colours, Birds and Flowers, ca 1857By Samuel Alcock & Co.Located in London, GBA set of four pierced dessert plates, 3 in the “Staffordshire” shape, in harlequin pastel colours with gilt, three with named birds and one with a flower Patterns 3/9414, 3/9772 and...Category
Antique 1850s English Victorian Dinner Plates
MaterialsPorcelain
- Samuel Alcock Dessert Service, Crested Alma Border with Birds, 1855By Samuel Alcock & Co.Located in London, GBA spectacular large complete dessert service consisting of a high footed centre piece, two square dishes, two diamond shape dishes, one oval dish, and twelve plates. With Persian ins...Category
Antique 1850s English Victorian Dinner Plates
MaterialsPorcelain
- Minton Porcelain Dessert Service, Turquoise, Equestrian Horses, Victorian, 1871By MintonLocated in London, GBThis is a beautiful dessert service made by Minton in 1871, consisting of two high comports, four low comports, and ten plates. All items have a white ground with a bright turquoise ...Category
Antique 1870s English Victorian Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Contemporary Set of 2 Dessert Plates Gold Hand Painted PorcelainBy Coralla MaiuriLocated in Roma, RMHandcrafted in Italy from the finest porcelain, these sand drop edge dessert coupe plates from the Chestnut collection have an original golden drop edge decoration emphasizing the br...Category
2010s Italian Modern Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Antique Meissen Set of 13 Hand-Painted Desert Plates with Fruit DecorationBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Hamilton, OntarioThis set of antique desert or side plates was made by the renowned Meissen factory of Germany in approximately 1880 in a period Victorian style. The plates are composed of porcelain ...Category
Antique Late 19th Century German Victorian Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Contemporary Set of 2 Dessert Plates Gold Hand Painted Porcelain TablewareBy Coralla MaiuriLocated in Roma, RMHand painted in Italy from the finest porcelain, this Michelangelo Dessert Coupe Plate is material and earthy, like the great Renaissance Master's work. It conveys classical beauty a...Category
2010s Italian Modern Dinner Plates
MaterialsPorcelain
- Contemporary Set of 2 Dessert Plates Gold Hand Painted Porcelain TablewareBy Coralla MaiuriLocated in Roma, RMHandcrafted in Italy from the finest porcelain, this Apollo Bianco plate leads us into a magic world. Shades of blue lapis lazuli evoke the magic of oriental novellas. A fairytale is...Category
2010s Italian Modern Dinner Plates
MaterialsPorcelain
- Contemporary Set of 2 Dessert Plates Gold Hand Painted Porcelain TablewareBy Coralla MaiuriLocated in Roma, RMHand painted in Italy from the finest porcelain, this Dafne Dessert Rim Plate has a narrow pink and blue dotted rim surrounding a broad, delicate golden decor of stylised flowers; su...Category
2010s Italian Modern Dinner Plates
MaterialsPorcelain
- Contemporary Set of 2 Dessert Plates Gold Hand Painted Porcelain TablewareBy Coralla MaiuriLocated in Roma, RMHand painted in Italy from the finest porcelain, this Michelangelo green dessert coupe plate is material and earthy, like the great Renaissance Master's ...Category
2010s Italian Modern Dinner Plates
MaterialsPorcelain