Meissen Porcelain Vase
View Similar Items
Meissen Porcelain Vase
About the Item
- Creator:Meissen Porcelain (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 9.45 in (24 cm)Diameter: 7.09 in (18 cm)Length: 9.45 in (24 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1950
- Condition:Very good condition.
- Seller Location:Vilnius, LT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4059320010622
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.
- 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
- Meissen Hand Painted Gilded Porcelain Plate/TrayBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Vilnius, LTMeissen Porcelain plate/tray with hand painted floral motives and rich gold decor.Category
Mid-20th Century German Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen Gold and Floral Decor Porcelain PlateBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Vilnius, LTGerman Meissen porcelain plate richly decorated with gold and hand painted floral decor.Category
Mid-20th Century German Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen Porcelain Deep Cabinet Plate with HandlesBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Vilnius, LTMeissen Porcelain deep cabinet plate with handles. This piece is hand painted in cobalt blue with floral motive in the center and richly decorated gold ...Category
Early 20th Century German Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Pair of German Meissen Porcelain Cobalt Blue VasesBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Vilnius, LTPair of antique German Meissen porcelain vases designed by August Leuteritz, decorated with snake handles, cobalt blue color and gold. Meisse...Category
Early 20th Century German Vases
MaterialsPorcelain
- Large German Hutschenreuther Porcelain Empire Style VaseLocated in Vilnius, LTLarge german Hutschenreuther porcelain empire style cobalt blue vase with handles and hand painted in gold decor. Decorated with mythological sc...Category
Early 20th Century German Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Pair of Meissen Porcelain Vases with Snake HandlesBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Pembroke, MAA highly-decorative pair of yellow porcelain vases, hand-painted with detailed central romantic scene, and having snake-form handles (Me...Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Neoclassical Vases
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
- Important Pair of Meissen Porcelain Filigree Vases with Raised FlowersBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in New York, NYA Highly Important pair of Museum Quality Louis XV Period 18th century Meissen Porcelain filigree openwork vases with a medially of flowers and vined leaves. This is truly an excepti...Category
Antique 1750s German Louis XV Vases
MaterialsPorcelain
$60,400 Sale Price / set20% Off - Large 19th Century German Gilt-Trimmed Meissen Porcelain VaseBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in New York, NY19th century German large blue and white Meissen porcelain vase with gilt trim and scroll handles.Category
Antique 19th Century German Napoleon III Porcelain
MaterialsGold
- A Rare Meissen Porcelain Cobalt Blue Ground Platinum & Gold Floral Painted VaseBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in New York, NYA Highly Important and Rare Meissen Porcelain Cobalt Blue Ground Vase with Platinum and Gold Hand-Painted Decoration. An exquisite and fine C...Category
Antique 1860s German Louis XVI Vases
MaterialsPorcelain
- Pair 19th Century Rococo Style Meissen Porcelain Parrot and Flower Lidded VasesBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in New York, NYAn incredible pair of 19th century Rococo Style Meissen Porcelain parrot and flower encrusted lidded vases. Each is absolutely stunning with a variety of hand-painted and encrusted f...Category
Antique 19th Century German Rococo Vases
MaterialsPorcelain