This guide will introduce you to the first hard paste porcelain produced in Europe.  We will explore the porcelain manufactory's history, introduce key periods, and briefly discuss marks. 

Meissen

Note:  The links below are intended to be general guides and will likely generate search results of non-authentic Meissen* reproductions.  Please be advised that Meissen is one of the most copied brands in existence and generally 1% of "Meissen" items offered on eBay are authentic.  Kindly leave a vote at the bottom of page if you find this information helpful.

History                    

Augustus "The Strong"

Hard paste porcelain was first produced in Europe at Meissen, Germany on the banks of the Elbe river in the oldest city in Saxony, near Dresden  A factory was established at the fortress Albrechtsburg by Augustus II (1670-1733),  Elector of Saxony (as Frederick Augustus I) and King of Poland, one of the wealthiest Monarchs and most important patrons of the arts of his age.  While his reign marked the decline of Poland's position as a European power, his contributions to the applied arts gave birth to the world's finest porcelain.   Augustus "The Strong" was so fond of of fine Chinese porcelain that he traded a regiment of 600 soldiers for 151 pieces.  In fact, his appetite for far eastern wares resulted in a collection numbering an astounding 20,000 pieces.

At this time Italians and French craftsmen were only able to produce soft paste porcelain from a mixture of white clay and ground glass.  Europe was on a quest to discover the secrets of hard paste porcelain that the Chinese produced with their kaolin clays.  It was August's imprisoned chemist Johann Friedrich Bottger (1682-1719) who discovered a alabaster fluxed ceramic  in 1708 while working on a mandate to produce gold.  Bottger was no alchemist's apprentice as is romanticized.  His master, Count Tschirnhaus, was a Prussian apothecary. and Bottger arrived in Dresden fleeing a murder warrant for poisoning him.  Nevertheless, it was Bottger that would achieve fame for creating a true white porcelain that was excellent for shaping into the popular silver forms of the day when in 1710 kaolin clay was discovered nearby.  During the early years red stoneware and porcelain were produced.

St. Hedwig Cathedral Commemorative Medallion  (1773-1973)  in Bottger Red Stoneware on box.

It is said that Bottger often escaped his captivity and was always recaptured.  In his solace he turned to alcohol which eventually killed him at 37.  After Bottger's death in 1719,  Augustus brought in Gregor Herold (or Horoldt) (1696 - 1775) as manager.  Techniques of both decoration and production were to improve significantly over the next twenty five years.  During this period, most of the tablewares were of simple forms so as to provide a backdrop for the exquisite decoration.  The first colored pieces were breakfast sets and chocolate cups.  Meissen porcelain began to be decorated with fine enamel painting that even surpassed some of the Chinese painting. 

Johann Gottlob Kirchner (1727-1733), a sculptor, was engaged in in 1727.  He made life size figures of birds and animals for a porcelain meangerie that had been planned for the upper floor of Augustus's Japanese Palace at Dresden.  The ambition of the project remains unparalleled in the history of ceramics.  Johann Joachim Kändler was hired as an assistant to Kirchner and began producing models for the animals.  In addition, he produced crinolines figures and groups.  In fact, Augustus had Kändler produce figures of everyone in his service!  After Kirchner was discharged in 1731, Kändler, with the assistance of a legion of modelers,  modeled figurines that endow museum collections worldwide.  He designed the legendary 2,000+ piece Swan Service for Count von Bruhl.  The styles were influenced by the Rococo style after 1740.  This is the time that the famous blue onion pattern emerged.   

The factory ruled supreme until Saxony's defeat in the Seven Years War (1756-1763). In fact, the factory was severely damaged and even occupied by Prussian victors.  Meissen's secrets were leaked from Vienna by the 1750's and seven major German firms resulted along with twenty smaller ones.  However, many of the concerns folded usually after the enterprising founder died.  It must be added that 1750 was also the decade that one of Meissen's arch rivals, Sevres, began producing some of the world's finest porcelain in neighboring France which hastened the decline. 

The factory was reorganized by the famous modeler Michel Victor Acier and fortunes were revived.    The stylistic considerations were shifted to Neo-classicism with the introduction of mythological figures.  Decorations were copied from Sevres.  The style shifted to Louis XVI under the Marcolini Period (1774-1814) which ended with the Napoleonic wars.  Count Marcolini was an outstanding manager and the Empire style started being applied to production in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.  The artist Jüchtzer (b.1752-d.1812) who worked with Kändler, revived the classical styles: crowns, pyramids, swans, sphinxes, and other styles celebrating Napoleon's past glories.  However Napoleon's assault on Germany left the country impoverished and demand for Meissen goods nonexistent. 

August Graf Neithardt von Gneisenau Commemorative Medallion (1760-1831)

The Kühn Period, named for the Director, lasted from 1833 to 1870 and was characterized by an economic and technical rebirth.  He began rebuilding the company's fortunes by selling white porcelain and investing in production.  He eventually introduced new colors and launched a revival of grand pieces from one hundred years earlier.  The modeller Leuteritz (b.1818-d.1893) resurrected the older rococo styles and created some of the finest large pieces.  All of this helped to boost sales. 

The New Period started in 1870 with the death of  Kühn and the employment of Raithel as Director who would guide the factory for the next twenty five years.  Many exports were made to America. In 1884 Raithel extended the factory building several new kilns to meet growing demand.   Endrich Andersen succeeded Leuteritz in 1886 as head of the modelling department and was responsible for grand pieces such as large scale mirrors.  The New Period was characterized by the new style of Art Nouveau which supplanted the older styles.  Konrad Hentschel was a famous modeller of this period.  He is known for the simple and plain details on his charming children and other figures. 

 Find a New Period piece!

Meissen survives and even thrives today with an incredible 175,000 original and new designs still in production.   There are over 300 dinner services to choose from.  Blue onion alone has over 750 pieces to choose from.  New models are made as closely as possible to old shapes with the best quality and craftsmanship available anywhere.  The good news for eBay members is that you will probably score a great deal in your auction if you can find an authentic piece.  The high cost of labor due to German reunification means that customers at Meissen pay four times more than what a "used" piece sells for on the secondary market (that's us!). 

This example of the "Pink Onion" pattern was graciously provided by an eBay member.  The central motif features aster and peony flowers with a sprawling bamboo stalk. The rims are decorated with peaches and pomegranates.  This fruit was mistaken for an onion by Europeans, but the name stayed.

Marks

Note:  Beware of imitation Meissen bearing a Meissen mark.  Imitators began copying Meissen's designs since it's inception.  Collectors, auctioneers, and dealers alike have been fooled into believing their fake was a authentic piece of Meissen.  One can not rely on marks alone.  Please use caution.   

For the first hundred years of porcelain manufacture there were only two pigments that could withstand high firing temperatures: iron red and colbalt blue.  The latter was more popular and hence most European porcelain is marked with an underglaze blue mark. 

AR     The very first European porcelain mark.  The Augustus Rex monogram was used in 1873 as a trademark and is still used on special pieces.  Caution:  Mark must be studied carefully as was copied by many Dresden factories, most notably Helena Wolfsohn.  These artful copies are nonetheless prized today. 

Pseudo Chinese marks were sometimes used between c. 1720-1725. 

An eBay member kindly provided this photograph of a pseudo Chinese mark.

Crossed Swords Marks

K. P. F.     The mark denoting "Konigliche Pozellan Fabrik" occurs 1723 and is the first factory    mark used as a guarantee of origin. 

M C S      c.1730-35 on Augsburg decorated pieces.

M. P. M.  c.1723-24 rare. 

K. P. M.    c.1723-24 on teapots and sugar bowls. 

  The classic crossed swords taken from the arms of Augustus the Strong and first used in 1724 as a very small version in either blue or black overglaze.

Prior to 1745 some crossed swords have tiny blobs at the tip of the handles.

From 1763 to 1774 a dot appears between the hilt of the swords.  Caution:  Often imitated mark.

From 1774 until 1814 a star generally appears above the handles.  Caution:  Often imitated mark. 

From 1814 to 1818 The Roman Numerals I or II accompany the crossed swords.

From 1818 until 1824 the swords are long and slightly curved blades.

From 1924 the crossed swords marks appear with a dot between the points of the blades.  In previous "Dot" periods the dot appears between the handles. 

Year Marks

From 1948 an additional (year) mark is found on Meissen porcelain. 

Painters Marks

On the base you will find an incised pattern number along with a painter's mark.  If it is a group, you will find the same numbers repeated on each piece of the set. 

Seconds Mark

Meissen does nto produce seconds, contrary to the polular lore concerning crossed hatch marks. 

The Imitations

The following companies used marks similar to that of Meissen:

• Anspach

• Arnstadt

• Berlin

• Bristol

• Buschbad

• Caughley

• Charlottenbrun

• Chelsea

• Choisy-le-Roi

• Derby

• Dresden

• Fontainebleau

• Gräfenroda

• Hohenberg

• Hüttensteinach

• Ilmenau

• Kronach

• Kronach

• Longton Hall

• Lowestoft

• Montreuil-sous-Bois

• Moscow

• Nieder-Salzbrunn

• Nymphenburg

• Oberhohndorf

• Paris

• Potschappel

• Rauenstein

• Schney

• Schwarzenbach / Saale

• Sitzerode

• Tiefenfurt

• Tournai

• Volkstedt-Rudolstadt

• Wallendorf

• Weesp

• Worcestshire 

*Meissen, Meissen Porcelain, The Meissen logotype, and the Crossed Swords mark are registered trademarks of the Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen, GmbH.  These trademarks may not be used in connection with any product or service that does not belong to the Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen, in any manner that is likely to cause confusion among customers, or in any manner that disparages or discredits the Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen and it subsidiaries. 

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