Meissen Porcelain Gilt-Metal Mounted Chocolate Pot and Cover
View Similar Items
Meissen Porcelain Gilt-Metal Mounted Chocolate Pot and Cover
About the Item
- Creator:Meissen Porcelain (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 7 in (17.78 cm)Width: 9.5 in (24.13 cm)Depth: 6.25 in (15.88 cm)
- Style:Georgian (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1760
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Downingtown, PA
- Reference Number:Seller: VM982461stDibs: LU86106882093
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.
- Large Castleford-Type Pottery Coffee Pot and CoverBy Castleford PotteryLocated in Downingtown, PACastleford-type Coffee Pot & Cover, Circa 1820 The large Castleford coffee pot and cover has blue painted detailing. The spout with a bird-form tip. The body with reeding around t...Category
Antique 1820s English Regency Tableware
MaterialsPottery
- Chinese Export Porcelain American Market Chocolate Pot and CoverLocated in Downingtown, PAChinese Export Porcelain Chocolate Pot and Cover, American Market, Circa 17 85-95 The Chinese Export porcelain chocolate pot and domed cover is painted to each side with an en grisa...Category
Antique Late 18th Century Chinese Chinese Export Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- 18th Century Meissen Miniature Turquoise-Ground Botanical Teapot and CoverBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Downingtown, PAMeissen miniature Turquoise-ground teapot and cover, 1735-40 The Meissen porcelain miniature teapot has a turquoise ground with a shaped cartouche ...Category
Antique 1730s German Georgian Tea Sets
MaterialsPorcelain
- Chinese Export Famille Rose Porcelain Meissen-style Tureen and CoverLocated in Downingtown, PAChinese Export Famille Rose Circular Porcelain Tureen and Cover Painted with Cranes & Harbor Scene, Circa 1745 The Chinese Export Famille Rose porcelain circular small tureen and co...Category
Antique 1760s Chinese Chinese Export Soup Tureens
MaterialsPorcelain
- Mocha Pottery Banded Pepper Pot, circa 1810Located in Downingtown, PAMocha Pottery banded pepper pot, circa 1810 The bulbous circular Mocha pepper pot with a broad flared shoulder with bands of brown and light blue. ...Category
Antique Early 19th Century English Folk Art Tableware
MaterialsPottery
- Chamberlain's Worcester Porcelain Twenty Three Piece Botanical Dessert ServiceBy Chamberlains WorcesterLocated in Downingtown, PAChamberlain Worcester Porcelain Orange Ground Botanical Part Dessert Service, Twenty-Three Pieces, Circa 1800-10 The Chamberlain Worcester porcelain service...Category
Antique Early 19th Century English Regency Tableware
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen Tea Pot With Flower Decoration & Silver Mount, Rococo Period, Circa 1750By Meissen PorcelainLocated in Vienna, ATVery early Meissen teapot, circa 1750, Osier form with basket weave on the rim of the lid and around the opening of the teapot, as well as curved bars, spout and handle with knotted ...Category
Antique Mid-18th Century German Rococo Porcelain
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
- Tiffany & Co. Gilt Sterling Silver Chocolate PotBy Tiffany & Co.Located in Norwood, NJUnusual and fine quality Vermeil Tiffany & Co. sterling silver chocolate pot with turned wood handle and finial set into decorative appliqué.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Meissen Tea Pot with Animal Spout and Flower Decoration Rococo Period circa 1740By Meissen PorcelainLocated in Vienna, ATEarly and rare piece From The Meissen/Germany Manufactory Dating: made circa 1740 Material: white porcelain, glossy finish Technique: handmade porcelain, finest painting Specifications: Very early Meissen tea pot...Category
Antique Early 18th Century German Rococo Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Meissen Porcelain Candlestick Holder Ornate Yellow DragonBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Delft, NLMeissen Porcelain candlestick holder ornate yellow Dragon Meissen Porcelain ornate yellow Dragon candlestick holder. The rims and pattern...Category
Late 20th Century German Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Pair of Meissen porcelain pot pourri & covers, c. 1870.By Meissen PorcelainLocated in Gargrave, North YorkshireA fine pair of Meissen porcelain pot pourri and cover, c. 1870. Modelled in Marcolini Period style, each pot pourri having pierced shoulders, supported upon three angular feet, with ...Category
Antique 1870s German Victorian Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain