Meißen Porzellan-Museum, Deutschland

History of Meissen Porcelain The Meissen Porcelain Manufactory is considered one of Germany's most famous luxury brands. It was founded in 1710 by Augustus the Strong as the first European porcelain manufactory. All of the company's products bear the famous crossed swords. Invention of European Porcelain Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus, who participated in the experiments in porcelain production, was appointed director of the manufactory. After inventing the necessary hard-paste porcelain glaze and the first decorative colors in 1709, Böttger began work on factory production. Foundation and Heyday of the Manufactory In 1710, the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory was founded at Albrechtsburg Castle in Meissen. Its most important assets were the recipes and techniques for producing the hard-paste porcelain, which were to remain strictly secret. Only a few employees knew part of the manufacturing secret, also known as the arcanum. Nevertheless, the Meissen porcelain artisan Samuel Stöltzel managed to bring the recipe to Vienna, where the Vienna Porcelain Manufactory, the first competitor to Meissen porcelain, emerged in 1718. This attempted counterfeiting required a "marking": only then could it be proven that the porcelain was genuine Meissen Porcelain®. Various porcelain markings existed even in the first years after the manufactory's founding. It was not until the addition of blue underglaze in 1720 that a marking that was secure against counterfeiting was made possible. Typical motifs included landscapes, chinoiserie, and framed foliage and ribbon work. Around 1740, the Chinese and Japanese decorations were replaced by "German flowers." The onion pattern was also added to the permanent range. In addition to the production of ceremonial and decorative tableware, the manufactory's core competency included the production of figurative sculptures for the Dresden court. The Royal Porcelain Manufactory experienced a resurgence from 1774 to 1814 under Count Camillo Marcolini. The small, colorfully painted sculptures from this period are particularly well-known. Biscuit figures were also sometimes produced based on classical models. In this era, dominated by classicism, a decline began before the end of the 18th century, culminating in the copying of forms from earlier eras and imitations of porcelain. From the Wars of Liberation to the end of the Second World War In the first quarter of the 19th century, the manufactory fell into a crisis, but survived it and, in 1831, was placed under the control of the Saxon Ministry of Finance as a state institution. Mining Councilor Carl Wilhelm von Oppel was appointed Marcolini's successor, and he took over management of the manufactory from 1814 to 1833. In order to optimize workflows, the production facility was relocated from the Albrechtsburg Castle to the newly constructed buildings in the Triebischtal valley in Meissen, the current location, in 1863. The limited success at the 1900 Paris World's Fair brought about a change in tableware design and decoration. With subtle overglaze colors on artistically superior everyday porcelain, the company addressed the growing demands of the middle class. After the First World War and the November Revolution, Max Adolf Pfeiffer took over overall management of the company in 1919. Freelance artists working for Meissen included Paul Scheurich, Max Esser, Ernst Barlach, and Gerhard Marcks. During the Second World War, production was maintained until April 1945. Postwar and GDR Period In the spring of 1946, Meissen porcelain was again on display at the first post-war Leipzig Fair. On July 1, 1950, the manufactory became a state-owned enterprise under the name "VEB Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen." Since the 1960s, the company has strived for contemporary expressions. After German reunification Since June 26, 1991, the manufactory has operated as "Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen GmbH," with the Free State of Saxony as its sole shareholder. Even after reunification, the product range included contemporary figurines, vessels, and tableware, primarily reworkings of classic 18th-century models, as well as tableware with overglaze decorations and both classic and redesigned onion-pattern designs. https://ankaufvonmeissnerporzellan.de... Tourism in Germany Tourism in Europe Tour through Germany and neighboring countries