Meissen - 4 cups and saucers 'Strohblumenmuster', Marcolini period 1774-1814
About the Item
- Creator:Meissen Porcelain (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 1.38 in (3.5 cm)Diameter: 2.76 in (7 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 4
- Style:Louis XVI (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1774-1814
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Very good condition, no damages.
- Seller Location:DELFT, NL
- 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: DELFT, Netherlands
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Vienna porcelain - 4 cups and saucers, 1781By Imperial Vienna PorcelainLocated in DELFT, NLSet of 4 cups and saucers with decoration of gilt flower sprays and blue border by the Kaiserlich priviglierte Porzellan Fabrique in Vienna. It was founded in 1718 and continued unti...Category
Antique Late 18th Century Austrian Louis XVI Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- André Leboeuf, Manufacture à la Reine' - Cup and saucer 'Litron', late 18thLocated in DELFT, NLVery beautiful cup and saucer of the model Litron, by Manufacture à la Reine rue Thiroux. ca 1785-1790. Refined and elaborate decoration of flower festoons and gilt ornament. Faint c...Category
Antique Late 18th Century French Louis XVI Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Vienna Porcelain - Rococo Cup and Saucer, late 18th centuryLocated in DELFT, NLVienna Porcelain Coffee or Mokka Cup and Saucer with floral decoration. Product of the Vienna Porcelain Manufactory (German: Kaiserlich privilegierte Porcellain Fabrique), a porcela...Category
Antique Late 18th Century Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Vienna Porcelain - Rococo Cup and Saucer, late 18th centuryLocated in DELFT, NLVienna Porcelain Coffee or Mokka Cup and Saucer with floral decoration. Product of the Vienna Porcelain Manufactory (German: Kaiserlich privilegierte Porcellain Fabrique), a porcela...Category
Antique Late 18th Century Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Darte Freres (?) - Cup and saucer, chinoiserie decoration, early 19th centuryBy Darte FrèresLocated in DELFT, NLMarvelous cup and saucer, elaborately decorated with geometrical forms in red, blue and gold. Beautifully worked gilding, little details of Chinese figures and Chinese characters. ...Category
Antique Early 19th Century French Empire Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen - figurine of a Bacchant by Kaendler, 1740By J.J. Kaendler, Meissen PorcelainLocated in DELFT, NLEarly Meissen figurine of a bacchant eating from a grapes, as an allegory of autumn. Model by Joachim Kaendler. unmarked, ca 1740-60.Category
Antique Mid-18th Century German Rococo Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- 18th Century Meissen cups and saucersBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Delft, NL18th Century Meissen cups and Saucers This set consists of 9 cups and 9 saucers of Meissen porcelain. A high quality porcelain pro...Category
Antique Late 18th Century German Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen Marcolini Duck TureenBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Dresden, DEThis figurative butter or pate terrine in duck form, Meissen, c. 1780/90, impresses with its naturalistic painting and finely worked plumage structure. Such figurative service compon...Category
Antique Late 18th Century German Rococo Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen Marcolini Period Porcelain Twin Handled Painted Fruit BasketBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Bishop's Stortford, HertfordshireA fine antique German porcelain twin handled fruit basket by prolific makers Meissen and dating from the Marcolini period 1774 to 1814. The fruit basket stands raised on four Greek k...Category
Antique Late 18th Century European Neoclassical Decorative Baskets
MaterialsPorcelain
- A Meissen Dot Period Porcelain Tea Cup and Saucer and Coffee Cup, 1763 - 1774By Meissen PorcelainLocated in Tunbridge Wells, GBA Meissen Dot Period Porcelain Tea Cup and Saucer and Coffee Cup, 1763 - 1774 Additional information: Date : 1763 - 1774 Period : Augustus III Marks : Underglaze blue crossed swords...Category
Antique 18th Century German Tea Sets
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen Porcelain Coffee Cup with Saucer and Dessert PlateBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Vilnius, LTMeissen porcelain coffee cup with saucer and dessert plate all richly decorated with gold. Measures: Cup: H 6 x 9 x 7.5 cm Saucer: 12 cm Dessert plate: 14 cm.Category
Mid-20th Century German Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- 19th Century Meissen Hand Painted Cup and SaucerBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Lambertville, NJDiminutive whimsical 19th century Meissen cup and saucer. The purple trim with gilt decoration with birds and insects. The saucer is 5 inches in...Category
Antique 19th Century German Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain