A king's dream
In 1298 Marco Polo returned to Europe from his travels, bringing with him the first examples of Chinese porcelain ever seen here. He was also the first to report on the manufacture of porcelain. Yet it was almost another 300 years before attempts at making porcelain yielded their first successful results – at the court of the Medici in Florence in 1576. The French court at the end of the 17th century was particularly renowned for its delightful soft porcelain of excellent quality.
In search of the secret formula – Augustus the Strong wins the race
- Augustus the Strong of Saxony
Kings and potentates during the Baroque era were well and truly in the grip of porcelain fever, yet no-one could surpass Augustus the Strong’s passion for collecting. He was determined to unveil the secret of making porcelain; eventually, he found a dream team in the shape of Johann Friedrich Böttger, an alchemist whose love for experimentation knew no bounds, and the academic Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus, and in 1708 the two of them managed to make “real” porcelain – i.e. kaolin-based hard porcelain – for the first time outside Asia. In 1710, the first porcelain manufactory in Europe was founded at Albrechtsburg in Meissen. When “arcanists” who had fled Meissen revealed the secret formula, many other manufactories followed: Vienna as early as 1718, Venice in 1720, Capodimonte in 1743 and Nymphenburg in 1747.
Porcelain’s “regal” age – Manufactories in Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassicism
In the early days, all manufactories emulated Meissen porcelain in design and decoration. Early work produced at Albrechtsburg is clearly inspired by Asian and European goldsmithing, but modeller Johann Joachim Kaendler and painter Johann Gregorius Hoeroldt were instrumental in developing an autonomous European style based on work produced at Meissen. From this time on, porcelain speaks the language of the variously prevailing tastes in contemporary art, with manufactories throughout Europe taking turns at playing a leading role.
Splendour and glory – Napoleon I and the Empire
- Two cups and a saucer, painted by John Cutts, Wedgwood Pm, 1813, Wedgwood Museum, Barlaston, England
Under Napoleon Bonaparte, Europe experienced a time of great instability where the balance of power was concerned. France's claim to power can be seen in the porcelain produced by the state manufactory at Sèvres – the language used is that of the legitimisation of the power, might and majesty of the French Empire. Never before had porcelain been so richly decorated, so lavishly gilded, engraved and painted with copies of works of art. And in parallel with this development, objects grew in size to assume massive proportions.
Nothing is impossible – from nobility to the middle classes, from Biedermeier to world exhibitions
- Light shade with portrait of the theologian Friedrich Schleiermacher
At the end of the great wars and battles that took place during Napoleon’s reign and following the new order imposed in Europe by the Congress of Vienna in 1815, a time of social upheaval and realignment began, resulting in the creation of a middle class and the beginning of the industrial age. Porcelain became affordable for a broader group of buyers. At the same time, all the makers – whether manufactories or factories – were fighting it out at world exhibitions to see who could produce the biggest, most complex forms and the most elaborate decorations, in keeping with the spirit of the day.
Japan in the drawing room – the beginnings of Art Nouveau
- Vase mit jap. Wildkarpfen, 1888 Pm. Kopenhagen,
In 1862 the Japanese wood carver Hokusai delighted visitors to the world exhibition in London with his work. Until then, Japan had been politically closed to the outside world. Now, for the first time, the culture of a land which had hitherto been shrouded in mystery was revealed to a fascinated European public. The cult of Japanism was now to be found in porcelain. Initially, only Japanese motifs were used, but later on three-dimensional aspects reflected Japanese style. The Copenhagen Manufactory was particularly renowned for adopting this style as its model. And from there, it spread like wildfire across the whole of Europe.
“The Roaring Twenties” – Art Déco celebrates its way headlong into a crisis
- “Carmen”. Design: Wolfgang Schwarzkopff, Pf. Rosenthal, Selb,
ca. 1930
The effervescent “joie de vivre” in the years after the First World War led to an expressive, colourful style the like of which had never been seen before. Variety stars such as Josephine Baker, singers and dancers were the stars of the day. Everything was now angular, jagged and decorated in bright, gay colours. Inspired by French interior designers and fashion designers, the style was first presented in 1926 at the “Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes” in Paris. From then on, this new design style had European porcelain firmly in its grasp.
Jubiläumsausstellung ist zu Ende gegangen
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Der Katalog zur Ausstellung
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