Mid-18th Century Meissen Two-Handled Cup with Cover and Saucer
View Similar Items
Mid-18th Century Meissen Two-Handled Cup with Cover and Saucer
About the Item
- Creator:Meissen Porcelain (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 6 in (15.24 cm)Diameter: 6.88 in (17.48 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Unknown
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Some old repairs, the pieces are in generally excellent appearance for the age. The stand with a gilded over shallow chip to central raised band. The cup with a shallow slither chip at rim re-glued. flower finial re-stuck to cover, minor chip to rim.
- Seller Location:Washington Crossing, PA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2381311026803
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.
- 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
$9,338 / set - 18th Century Meissen Marcolini Silhouette Cup and SaucerBy Meissen Porcelain, Gottlob Samuel MohnLocated in Fort Lauderdale, FLA Meissen porcelain cup and saucer from the Marcolini period, dating around 1795, decorated with silhouette designs attributed to Samu...Category
Antique 1790s German Neoclassical Tea Sets
MaterialsPorcelain
- Italy Richard Ginori Mid-18th Century Pink Porcelain Covered Cup with LandscapesBy Richard GinoriLocated in Brescia, ITItalian Richard Ginori mid-18th century porcelain covered cup or little covered sauce tureen painted with landscapes in fuchsia color This beautiful covered cup it was hand painte...Category
Antique Mid-18th Century Italian Baroque Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen Blue Onion Covered Serving Bowl or Pot with Wooden HandleBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Boston, MAI am proud to present you with this fabulous Meissen blue onion serving piece. I do not think I have ever seen a Meissen serving piece like this. It is a covered serving bowl...Category
Antique 1880s German Rococo Platters and Serveware
MaterialsPorcelain
- Italy 18th Century Richard Ginori Porcelain Covered Cup with Floral DrawingsBy Richard GinoriLocated in Brescia, ITThis fine and elegant covered cup in Baroque style, is a piece hand made by the well known Italian factory Richard Ginori in Doccia. The set is composed by two pieces: the cup and th...Category
Antique Mid-18th Century Italian Baroque Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Italy 18th Century Richard Ginori Porcelain Covered Cup or Sugar BowlBy Richard GinoriLocated in Brescia, ITThis fine and elegant covered cup in Baroque style, is a piece hand made by the well known Italian factory Richard Ginori in Doccia. The set is composed by two pieces: the cup and th...Category
Antique Mid-18th Century Italian Baroque Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain