Collection of Fourteen Porcelain Plates by Various German Makers
About the Item
- Creator:Dresden Porcelain (Maker),Meissen Porcelain (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 1.58 in (4 cm)Diameter: 9.06 in (23 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 14
- Style:Rococo (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1900-1909
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1900
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- 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.
Dresden Porcelain
Dresden porcelain, as a term, is the subject of some confusion. In some contexts, it refers to the hard-paste ceramic wares produced by the workshops that sprang up in and around the Saxon capital in the 19th century. In others, it denotes only the output of one of these, Sächsische Porzellanmanufaktur Dresden, known in English as simply Dresden Porcelain, which was established in 1872 in the city of Freital, Saxony.
Complicating matters further, early publications about porcelain often used “Dresden” and “Meissen” interchangeably. It is true that the cities of Dresden and Meissen are connected through their long, shared history of decorative arts production and, in fact, most Meissen porcelain was sold in Dresden, the artistic and cultural center of Saxony.
However, Meissen is the site of the factory that produced the first European porcelain, at the turn of the 18th century, while Dresden did not come into prominence until the mid-19th century, during the high point of the Rococo revival. (Porcelain originated in China, which is why many collectors still seek out what they call "Dresden china.")
And while Meissen is known for manufacturing porcelain, from clay models through finished product, Dresden is celebrated for its decorating studios, of which there were several dozen in and around the city during the 19th century. Their skilled painters often used “blanks” from Meissen as their canvases. So a piece of Dresden porcelain may have been formed and fired at Meissen, painted in Dresden, and ultimately sold in one of that city’s shops.
The figurines, plates and vases produced during the 19th century via this complex process remain appealing to this day, their bright hues and pastoral imagery typical of the Rococo revival, which brought scrollwork, shells, foliage, flowers and fruit back into vogue after decades of restrained neoclassicism and austere Gothic Revival design. Dresden figurines, which like their Meissen counterparts were inspired by the characters of the Commedia dell'Arte, have a witty, cheerful quality that has been likened to that of scenes painted by Watteau and Fragonard.
Before its near-total destruction during World War II, Dresden was home to more than 200 painting studios.
The Dresden style, however, is associated with wares bearing the blue crown mark (Meissen’s mark is a pair of cobalt blue crossed swords), which was first registered in 1883 by Richard Klemm, Donath & Co, Oswald Lorenz, and Adolph Hamann. Prominent painters from this period include Helena Wolfsohn, Franziska Hirsch, Ambrosius Lamm — whose skill in the application of metallic or lustre paints is on lavish display in this dinner service from the 1920s — and Carl Thieme, a master in floral painting, as demonstrated by his decoration on this circa 1901 ram’s head urn.
Dresden painters also used a decorative technique known as “Dresden lace.” This involved dipping real lace into liquid porcelain and applying it to a figure, which was then fired in a kiln. The fabric would burn away, leaving a fragile, crinoline-like shell — the type of delicate and whimsical detail that characterizes Dresden porcelain, one of Europe’s great ceramic traditions.
Find authentic antique Dresden porcelain on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Six Rococo Sèvres Style Porcelain PlatesBy Manufacture Nationale de SèvresLocated in London, GBEach porcelain plate in this set of six features a navy-blue ground, distinctive to works produced in the style of Sèvres, and gilded rims with ornate patterns inscribed. The centre ...Category
Antique 19th Century French Rococo Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Twelve Parcel Gilt Bohemian Porcelain Dinner Plates by P.A.L.TLocated in London, GBTwelve parcel gilt Bohemian porcelain dinner plates by P.A.L.T Czech, early 20th century Measures: Height 2.5cm, diameter 27cm This rare set of early 20th century porcelain dinn...Category
Early 20th Century Czech Dinner Plates
MaterialsPorcelain
- Set of Antique Coalport Porcelain Dinner Plates Depicting English FishBy Coalport PorcelainLocated in London, GBSet of antique coalport porcelain dinner plates depicting English fish. English, late 19th century Dimensions: Height 2cm, diameter 22cm ...Category
Antique Late 19th Century English Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Antique German Porcelain Twelve Piece Dessert ServiceLocated in London, GBAntique German porcelain twelve piece dessert service German, c. 1880 Measures: Seven flat plates: Height 2cm, diameter 22cm Four raised plates: Height 6.5cm, diameter 25cm Large...Category
Antique Late 19th Century German Neoclassical Dinner Plates
MaterialsPorcelain
- Set of twenty four blue and white floral porcelain dinner platesLocated in London, GBSet of twenty four blue and white floral porcelain dinner plates Continental, 19th Century Height 2.5cm, diameter 23.5cm These blue and white porcelain dinner plates...Category
Antique 19th Century European Belle Époque Dinner Plates
MaterialsPorcelain
- Antique Painted and Gilt Royal Vienna Porcelain PlateBy Royal Vienna PorcelainLocated in London, GBAntique painted and gilt royal Vienna porcelain plate Austrian, late 19th century Dimensions: Height 2.5cm, diameter 24cm Of circular...Category
Antique Late 19th Century Austrian Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Set of 12 Antique Meissen Porcelain 'Old Ozier' Pattern Cabinet or Dinner PlatesBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Philadelphia, PAA fine set of 12 antique, 18th century German porcelain plates. By the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory. In the Old Ozier pattern. Each ...Category
Antique 1760s German Rococo Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Pair of 18th Century Hand Painted Multi-Color Porcelain Decorative Dinner PlatesBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Firenze, ITThese two beautiful and antique hand painted multi-colored porcelain dishes date back to 1700. Each plate has shaped rims with molded and trimmed relief, the white porcelain backgro...Category
Antique 18th Century German Rococo Dinner Plates
MaterialsPorcelain
- Pair Antique 18c Meissen Vergissmeinnicht Pattern Porcelain Plates with FlowersBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Philadelphia, PAA fine pair of antique Vergiss Meinnicht (Forget-me-not) pattern plates. By the Royal Meissen Porcelain Manufactory. Decorated with Deutsche Blumen floral sprays to the center incl...Category
Antique 18th Century German Rococo Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Pair Antique 18C Meissen Porcelain Neuozier Marcolini Period Plates with FlowersBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Philadelphia, PAA fine pair of antique Neuozier pattern plates. By the Royal Meissen Porcelain Manufactory. Decorated with Deutsche Blumen floral sprays to the center and sides including roses...Category
Antique Late 18th Century German Rococo Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- Pair Antique 18c Meissen Neuer Ausschnitt Porcelain Plates with Deutsche BlumenBy Meissen PorcelainLocated in Philadelphia, PAA fine pair of antique Neuer Ausschnitt (New Cut) pattern porcelain plates. By the Royal Meissen Porcelain Manufactory. Decorated with Deutsche Blumen...Category
Antique 18th Century German Rococo Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain
- 1960s German Flower Porcelain 24-Karat Gold Plates Set of 11 by RosenthalBy RosenthalLocated in Sofia, BGLIQUIDATION "He who believes he is something has ceased to become something.“ Philip Rosenthal. One large serving plate One medium serving plate Six dessert plates One main course plate Two salad...Category
20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Porcelain
MaterialsPorcelain