Antique Meissen Porcelain Satyr
View Similar Items
Antique Meissen Porcelain Satyr
About the Item
- Creator:Meissen Porcelain (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 5.32 in (13.5 cm)Width: 1.97 in (5 cm)Depth: 3.94 in (10 cm)
- Style:Classical Greek (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1930
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:Seller: 79781stDibs: LU95639538451
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.
- Antique Meissen Porcelain Plaque after CorreggioBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in London, GBAntique Meissen porcelain plaque after Correggio German, 19th Century Measures: Frame: Height 43cm, width 50cm, depth 10cm Plaque: Height ...Category
Antique 19th Century German Renaissance Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain, Giltwood
- Pair of Antique Porcelain Sconces by MeissenBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in London, GBPair of antique porcelain sconces by Meissen German, late 19th Century Measures: Height 57cm, width 38cm, depth 10cm This fine pair of Ge...Category
Antique Late 19th Century German Rococo Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsPorcelain
$22,869 / set - Meissen Porcelain Bird ModelBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in London, GBA Meissen porcelain bird model German, late 19th century Measures: height 15cm, width 15cm, depth 9cm This elegant miniature, of a ptarmigan or sim...Category
Antique Late 19th Century German Belle Époque Animal Sculptures
MaterialsPorcelain
- Antique German porcelain group of Venus with Cupid by MeissenBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in London, GBAntique German porcelain group of Venus with Cupid by Meissen German, c. 1750 Height 20.5cm, width 11cm, depth 12cm This charming Meissen porce...Category
Antique Mid-18th Century German Rococo Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsPorcelain
- Large Meissen porcelain Rococo style centrepieceBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in London, GBLarge Meissen porcelain Rococo style centrepiece German, Late 19th Century Height 42cm, width 40cm, depth 25cm According to a design by E. A. Leuteritz,...Category
Antique Late 19th Century German Rococo Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Pair of Heart Shaped Meissen Porcelain CandleholdersBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in London, GBEach candleholder finely detailed to the centre with an image of playing cards to one side and crest on the reverses, each image contained within a gilt circle, further enhanced with...Category
Antique 19th Century German Romantic Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
$12,069 / set
- 19th Century Meissen Porcelain: Empress Catherine ii of Russia's Favorite DogBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in New York, NYA 19th century Meissen Porcelain Model Of Empress Catherine II Of Russia's Favorite Dog (Russisches Windspiel). This delightful 19th-century Meissen porcelain model depicts Empress C...Category
Antique 1860s German Louis XVI Models and Miniatures
MaterialsPorcelain
$19,080 Sale Price20% Off - Antique English Porcelain Tobacco JarLocated in New Orleans, LAAntique English porcelain tobacco jar.Category
Antique 19th Century English Tobacco Accessories
MaterialsPorcelain
- Antique KPM Hand-Painted Porcelain Cabinet Plate Depicting the Biblical "Ruth"By KPM PorcelainLocated in Hamilton, OntarioThis antique hand-painted porcelain cabinet plate was made by the renowned KPM porcelain factory of Germany in approximately 1880. The center of the plate features a depiction of the...Category
Antique Late 19th Century German Neoclassical Revival Religious Items
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen, Organized by the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami 1977, 1st EdLocated in valatie, NYMeissen, organized by the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami, 1977. 1st Ed softcover. A museum exhibition that started with a core donation from ...Category
Vintage 1970s American Books
MaterialsPaper
- Japanese Porcelain Smoking Set by TakitoLocated in Bradenton, FLA Japanese porcelain cigarette holder with four matching ashtrays. Made by the Takito Company (1880-1948) and hand painted with a floral design in red. The Double Diamond TT maker's ...Category
Early 20th Century Japanese Tobacco Accessories
MaterialsPorcelain
$255 / set - Endre László Szász for Hollohaza Porcelain ViolinBy Endre SzaszLocated in Delft, NLEndre László Szász for hollohaza porcelain violin, Hungary 1979-1980. A Hungarian porcelain violin on a round stand with a brown painted scene o...Category
20th Century Hungarian Musical Instruments
MaterialsPorcelain