Meissen Porcelain 18th Century Leaf Dish Hand Painted, circa 1770
About the Item
- Creator:Meissen Porcelain (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 9.5 in (24.13 cm)Width: 13 in (33.02 cm)Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)
- Style:Rococo (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 1770
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Katonah, NY
- 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: Katonah, NY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 30 days of delivery.
- Hand-Painted Antique Blue & Gold English Porcelain Dish 18th Century c-1780By Caughley PorcelainLocated in Katonah, NYThis exquisite late 18th-century dish features several elements that make it so full of life. First is the splendid hand-painted goldwork. This gilding enlivens the dish with its ha...Category
Antique Late 18th Century English George III Decorative Dishes and Vide-...
MaterialsPorcelain
- Sevres Porcelain Bottle Cooler Hand-Painted 18th Century, Circa 1773-1782By Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in Katonah, NYSèvres was the royal factory of Louis XV and Louis XVI, Kings of France from 1715-1793. The Sèvres factory was known to have the best painters and gilders in 18th-century France. This stunning Sèvres 18th...Category
Antique Late 18th Century French Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- 18th Century French Soft Paste Porcelain Mennecy Blush Pot Hand-PaintedBy Mennecy Porcelain Manufactory 1Located in Katonah, NYWe are pleased to offer this beautiful Mennecy blush pot 'Pot à Fard' made circa 1750. It is decorated with sprays of flowers, the finial shaped as a single purple rose with green le...Category
Antique Mid-18th Century French Rococo Jars
MaterialsPorcelain
- Set Four Antique Porcelain Dishes Hand-Painted 18th Century England, circa 1790By DerbyLocated in Katonah, NYThis set of four hand-painted dishes were made by Derby in England late in the 18th century, circa 1790. The border shows an exquisite wavy orange ribbon that opens and closes while ...Category
Antique Late 18th Century English Regency Dinner Plates
MaterialsPorcelain
- Antique English Porcelain Dish Hand Painted with Flowers 19th Century Circa 1830By Coalport PorcelainLocated in Katonah, NYThe dish is hand-painted with perfect pink and purple roses and a fabulous orange eastern poppy. Around the center is a band of gilt. The border has impressed decoration of flowers ...Category
Antique 1830s English Early Victorian Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Dutch Delft Charger Hand Painted 18th Century Circa 1770Located in Katonah, NYThis antique Dutch Delft charger was made in the 18th century, circa 1770. It features a beautiful flower-filled garden hand painted in beautiful polychrome colors. We see a single large, bright yellow peony, other flowers painted in shades of purple, flower buds painted red, green leaves, a pierced rock painted deep cobalt blue, and the garden fence painted red and yellow. The border of the charger is decorated with a ring of flower buds in purple and red with green leaves. The overall effect is lovely! Dimensions: Diameter 12.5" Dimensions: 12.25 diameter x 1.75" tall Condition: Excellent with slight edge frits invisibly restored Price: $780 Background of Delft: The origins of Delft are found in the Middle East. Tin ash was used in a glaze for pottery as early as the 9th century in Mesopotamia. Using white glaze over a dark or buff-colored pottery body created a "canvas" on which painters could show brilliant colors that did not appear well on the earlier pottery...Category
Antique Late 18th Century Dutch Rococo Delft and Faience
MaterialsDelft
- Meissen Mid-18th Century Porcelain Cup with Dish White Blue and GoldBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Brescia, ITThis is a small masterpiece of craftsmanship: The fine porcelain is designed with floral and natural scenes, rich in detail. A piece for refined collectors or useful to start a coll...Category
Antique Mid-18th Century Austrian Baroque Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen porcelain shepherd & shepherdess, c. 1770.By Meissen PorcelainLocated in Gargrave, North YorkshireA fine pair of Meissen porcelain figure groups, c.1765 -1775. Elaborately modelled by Carl Christoph Punct, as a shepherd and shepherdess, in 18th Century dress, and set upon open ro...Category
Antique 1770s German Georgian Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Leaf-Shaped Meissen Blue Onion Dish in Hand Painted PorcelainLocated in Copenhagen, DKLeaf-shaped Meissen Blue Onion dish in hand-painted porcelain. Handle in the shape of a branch. Approx. 1930s. In excellent condition. Marked. First factory quality. Dimension...Category
Vintage 1930s German Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen, Germany. Leaf-shaped porcelain dish. Hand-painted with flowers.Located in Copenhagen, DKMeissen, Germany. Leaf-shaped porcelain dish. Hand-painted with polychrome flower motifs. From the 1930s. Marked. First factory quality. In perfect condition. Dimensions: Length 19....Category
Vintage 1930s German Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen Hand Painted Porcelain PlateBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Vilnius, LTMeissen porcelain plate in relief decor and hand painted in gold.Category
Mid-20th Century German Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Rare 18th Century Meissen Porcelain Group of a Thalia with a Harlequin ChildBy J.J. Kändler, Meissen PorcelainLocated 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