History of Meissen ware

Press, 29 June 1982, Page 12

History of Meissen ware

Collecting with Myrtle Duff

An opportunity to inspect some fine Meissen porcelain being offered for sale by Ballantynes from today sent me once more delving into the absorbing story of porcelain and its ' predecessor pottery, which so closely parallels the history .of "mankind.

Perhaps the affinity springs from the common origin. Co-existing in some places with the manufacturer of stone implements, shaping vessels from clay must rank as one of the world’s earliest industries. Today’s products from the same material are as widely used as ever.

Potteries, and the people who work in them, have often reflected the social climate and 1 important happenings of their age, both in the commemorative objects and domestic utensils made and in their internal organisation. Many factories were well ahead of their times in the provision of welfare and pension schemes, good working conditions, and recreational facilities.

It is not too surprising then that the Meissen factory in East Germany, begun in 1708 by a scientist of noble birth, Ehrenfried Walther Graf von Tschirnhausen, economic adviser to Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King ■ of Poland, should today be a thriving concern owned by the nation and operated by its modellers, painters, and other workers. In the late seventeenth century the hunt was on to

discover the secret of producing true porcelain then obtainable only from China. The transmutation of base metals into gold was another popular dream, and many alchemists flourished or faded according to the success or failure of their powers of persuasion and their ability to disappear at the right moment. Tschirnhausen, a widely travelled and educated man, had been studying kiln design and high temperature firing for some time when in 1704 he learned that a particularly energetic and resourceful alchemist, Johann Friedrich Bottger, had been imprisoned by Augustus for having failed to make good his boasts of ability to produce the greatly desired gold. Tschirnhausen rescued Bottger from prison, and diverted his ingenuity and skills from gold to porcelain. The partnership proved successful. Although it was 1709. a year after Tschirnhausen’s death, that Bottger was finally able to report to the King of Saxony that he could make “good white porcelain." it had undoubtedly been the combination of the unique talents of each of the two men which had brought this about. Bottger continued to administer the Meissen works until his death in 1719. But his managerial aptitude was somewhat less than his creative ability, and the works fell into disarray. A disloyal workman . ab-

sconded with important secrets which he conveyed to Vienna. Porcelain then began to be produced in several European centres, and Meissen lost its leading position. In 1720 the errant workman returned bringing with him a brilliant young enameller, Johann Gregorius Herold, who was to become artistic director at the factory, remaining there until 1765.

His period of influence is noted for the greatly increased range of colours and continuing efforts to copy the Chinese blue and red underglazes. There was a large output of chinoiseries. particularly in the form of large vases and lidded jars, and much reproduction of Japanese porcelain in the Kakiemon style.

"Johann Joachim Kaendler entered the Meissen factory in 1731, his time there thus overlapping that of Herold, whom he was to succeed as the next great influence at Meissen.

During his time the manufactory produced the famous blue table-ware patterns which have been copied by almost every other pottery, and remain popular today. They included the "Onion” “Immortelle" "Chrysanthemum" and "Willow” designs. The special Meissen underglaze blue was usually reserved for these patterns. It was rarely used for naturalistic European flowers or for figures.

Kaendler's personality dominated Meissen, and his genius as a sculptor led to the production of a variety of figures from every section of society, gallants, and ladies of the Court; Italian comedy characters, street traders and strolling players; and groups of crinoline figures which were much copied and have since become known as "Dresden figures." Kaendler’s particular brand of humour probably brought about his most famous creation, a satirical monkey orchestra in which appeared caricatures of a number of well known personalities.

Moulds and designs from the Kaendler period have been used by today's factory in their very successful attempts to reproduce the craftsmanship of Meissen’s earlier days. The descendants of the original craftsmen and women make most of the varieties popular in the past, but the factory does not operate on a wholesale basis. Every piece is produced with the utmost care and freely hand-painted so the output is limited affd can supply only a few selling agencies.

We are fortunate that we have in Ballantynes in Christchurch one of the only two agencies operating in Australasia. Included in the selection available is a quantity of fine blue and white "Onion” pattern; a pair of "Garden children” figures, some vases, a lidded jar and other items. Ail the pieces bear the

well-known Meissen mark, and on the blue and white ware this may also be seen incorporated in the design itself.

Goods were not systematically marked at Meissen until 1724, when the crossed blue swords were already in existence. But even before this time, other marks had been used.

The earliest was a pseudo Chinese mark. This was followed by two sets of initials K.P.M. (Konigliche Porzellan Fabrik) and M.P.M. (Meissner Porzellan Manufaktur). Later, an alternative to the crossed swords was used for the benefit of the Levant trade in case the crossed swords with their cross bar handles might be mistaken for symbols of Christianity and have an adverse effect on the market. This was a mark depicting in blue the tail of a kite.

The swords themselves have undergone many changes in shape and size, and sometimes additions of various sorts, but today's mark is recognisably the authentic Meissen symbol. Examples of 18th and 19th century Meissen products are about in private-collections, and so occasionally appear at auction sales and sometimes in antique shops. There are always eager collectors ready to snap them up.

I tiave been fortunate to be able to borrow some from a friend for illustration, together with similar pieces from the contemporary ware now available.