Meissen Porcelain: A Story of Quality and Elegance

When Europeans of the 15th century tried to imitate the beautiful Chinese porcelain imported by traders through the Silk Road, they were not very successful.

Clay pottery was used in Europe since time immemorial. Therefore, the early attempts combined clay and ingredients used to make glass. The result was thick, glossy ware that in no way looked like the thin, translucent, highly decorated porcelain brought from Cathay, as China was called at the time.

What was created instead is called “faience,” which was tin-glazed with some ornamentation, usually florals that were in loose brushstrokes or sometimes had a purple over-glaze. They were trying to imitate some of the more substantial imports.

In 1709, the first European high quality porcelain factory was developed at Albrechtsburg Castle in Meissen under the auspices of King August II of Poland, Elector of Saxony. The king enlisted the talents of alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger and mathematician-scientist Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus to create porcelain similar to the exquisite wares imported from The Orient.

What the Elector wanted to imitate for his palace was the fine, thin, translucent “Chinese Bone China,” i.e. tableware and decorative items that were beautifully adorned and symbolized wealth, prestige, and refined taste. After testing different techniques, actual production commenced in 1710.

In 1723, Johann Gregorius Höroldt introduced multicolored enameled painting, inspired by oriental motifs. This gave birth to the beloved and highly coveted Meissen porcelain we know today.

Meissen is considered the oldest high quality porcelain manufacturer in Europe, producing decorative items and tableware of unique quality, design, and timeless elegance. Meissen’s hand-painted, fine bone china eventually became very collectable.

By the mid-19th century and until the early 1970s, Meissen produced mostly Rococo or Baroque-influenced decorative products. Figurines, fruit bowls, candy dishes, vases, candleholders, table lamps, and other items were beautifully modeled and hand-enameled by notable artists of the period, while tableware sets had mostly monochrome designs, such as the Blue Onion (Zwiebelmuster) or smaller multicolored florals, such as the Dresden Rose.

The figurine collection has always been a favorite of European homeowners. Even though they didn’t live in palaces like the aristocracy, they decorated their salons and dining rooms with beautiful handpainted, sculpted porcelain pieces (cranes, parrots, dogs, elephants, cupids, nymphs, etc.), romantic village or palace life depictions, mythological scenes, or even figurine groups. The four seasons group and the monkey band come to mind.

Another specialty was what is now known as the Böttger Stoneware (Böttgersteinzeug) – chocolate-colored, large sculpted porcelain pieces – mostly horses, birds, or sea animals. Additionally, there have always been lovely white, masterfully created pieces such as Robert Ullmann’s “Spring” that is still available from Meissen either as glazed or unglazed (biscuit). it’s a piece I will always covet.

The last time I visited Meissen was in 1959. The area was part of East Germany, and many of the buildings in nearby Dresden were still in ruins from World War II. I was there to give orders for our family’s wholesale and retail crystal and porcelain business in Athens, where I was working for my father, and because I was trilingual, I was in charge of imports.

A few weeks ago at an event in New York City, Meissen unveiled its cooperation with Michael Moebius, a young contemporary artist, in a series of sculptured busts of screen beauties titled “Legends Blowing Bubbles” – currently Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn blowing glass bubbles. Each bust is beautifully modeled, unique, and will be limited to 10 pieces worldwide.

Don’t despair if you would like to get one. Based on photographs, white mugs in two different sizes of the artwork are being made available to Meissen collectors and the general public. See https://www.meissen.com/net/.

Meissen is now producing much more contemporary work – both figurines and tableware sets – many featuring Asian themes or floral designs, as well as sculpted tableware with scenes in white that complement the classic designs.

Please note: There are many Meissen pieces on the market – antique as well as modern. The majority are genuine, but there are also some outright fakes. And there are second or even third quality items that were released by the factory in the distant past.

Traditionally, only first quality products were sold on the market. Look at the back: the crossed swords blue mark should be intact. If you see either a single or double white scratch or strike through the swords brand, these are what the factory considered as second or third quality, and those seconds or thirds were normally destroyed.

Unfortunately, seconds and thirds were sold at a heavy discount right after World War II, when the factory was part of an area devastated by the war and then became part of East Germany. Then, getting any currency, especially foreign through exports, was more important for the survival of the firm and the workers than keeping up the quality they were famous for.

Some of the flaws were insignificant, like a small air bubble in the glaze or nicks at the color’s edge of the design. But there are also outright fakes that have no value except as pretentious decorative pieces. Those were produced mostly right after World War II at workshops in Bavaria, Czechoslovakia, and Spain. The product finish, as well as the design quality, were demonstrably inferior. But the market is well aware of the caveats, and reputable retailers will only stock genuine items.