BrandMeissen /Meysen /. Porcelain Meissen /Meysen /. Famous brand of art

The works of the famous Meissen manufactory "Meissen" are unique pieces of art of high artistic level and royal style, having world renown and collector's value. Each of the periods of the three-hundred-year history is interesting in its development, filled with important events and bright discoveries for the artistic heritage.

"White gold" is what the Europeans called Chinese porcelain, which forever conquered their hearts with its extraordinary grace and beauty of forms and the mystery of its origin. For the first time, Chinese porcelain was brought to Europe by Portuguese merchants. Historians date this fact to the 1508th year . Since then, European alchemists have been searching for the secret of the composition of the unique porcelain mass.

The first to achieve the long-awaited result was the alchemist Johann Friedrich Bettger. In 1707, he received a solid mass suitable for molding, firing, grinding and applying paint from clay and red earth. The material obtained by him, because of the characteristic shade, became known as "red mass". It took another two years, and Betger, together with physicist and geologist Chirnhaus, finally deduced the formula of the famous white porcelain, based on local raw materials – white clay, deposits of which were discovered near Dresden. It was this important unique component of the porcelain mass that was responsible for its plasticity.

The following year, the first porcelain manufactory in Europe was opened near the deposit in the city of Meissen, the owner of which was King August the Strong. His Majesty was so sensitive to his new enterprise and treasured the secret of "white gold" that he moved the factory to the castle, and put guards on the masters. The first porcelain products appeared in 1713, but their quality remained low, the surface was heterogeneous, bumpy, and in some places there were breaks. The craftsmen had to abundantly decorate objects with stucco decor. They were covered with glaze, and Chinese samples were taken as an example. But very soon the fame of the high quality of Meissen porcelain made us forget about this short period of failures.

In 1719 Friedrich Boettger died; Johann Gregor Herold, a successful painter from the Vienna Manufactory, was appointed in his place. Thanks to him, the quality of porcelain production has reached a new, higher level. This affected technological improvements, and also contributed to the emergence of new luxury items. Sculpture, elegant figurines, snuffboxes, muskets, all kinds of boxes, watches, toilet and writing instruments, smoking pipes were added to the magnificent sets and vases.

The manufactory provided for the needs of the court and the aesthetic needs of the German aristocracy. Very soon, almost the whole of Europe was engulfed by a porcelain boom. The Saxon King Augustus was the most demanding customer of porcelain works. To decorate the interiors of his palaces, he did not skimp either on financing production or on his own imagination. One of the most original items were porcelain sculptures of animals according to their natural proportions. This brilliant plan of the king was carried out by Johann Kendler himself.

In 1722, the manufactory had a brand that later became the most famous quality mark – two crossed swords.

The 1730s were the heyday of Meissen porcelain. In 1733, master Johann Joachim Kendler came to the factory, and he was appointed the leading sculptor. And in 1735, Heinrich Graf von Bruhl, the Prime Minister of Saxony, became the manager of the manufactory. It was a period of Rococo style, the creation of amazing and diverse in the form of interior items, ceremonial decorative sculpture and exquisite figurines. The objects are decorated with rich ornaments and stucco details, emphasizing the luxury and splendor of the court style. By this time, the dining sets made by orders of Joseph Graf von Sulkowski and Heinrich Graf von Bruhl, consisting of more than 2000 items, belong to this time. It was then that the tradition of decorating the dining table with porcelain figures depicting national heroes, peasants in costumes, harlequins, noble ladies came into fashion. Costumed porcelain figurines have become not only a favorite brainchild of Kendler, but also a business card of the Meissen production. According to these bright, expressive facial expressions and plastic characters, it was possible to judge the fashion and mores of that time.

The dining and tea sets of the 1740s are becoming more elegant, the floral motif dominates the painting. This is the most characteristic style of Meissen porcelain, when bouquets and single flowers are scattered across the white porcelain field. A motif of willow plaits of various types appeared in the relief decor of porcelain products. In the painting of vases, along with the floral motif, landscape and genre themes appear, based on engravings and famous paintings from the originals of D. Teniers, Antoine Watteau, Georg Rugendas.

The new period at the factory was associated with the era of classicism with its austerity of forms and restraint of decor. This time is also connected with the work of a new sculptor, the Frenchman Michel Victor Assier, who breathed new ideas into Meissen plastic. The lush stucco decor typical of the previous period has given way to architectural elements. In their artistic solution, the works increasingly gravitated towards antique models. Allegorical and mythological subjects began to prevail in the paintings of vases, and the forms themselves resembled classical amphorae and craters. In 1774, Count Camillo Marcolini came to the factory - a Saxon minister and art lover who had been in the position of manager for about forty years. Under Marcolini, a new brand appears – swords and a star under them. Porcelain of this period is somewhat inferior to the previous one. The rigidity of the forms of the works, the periodic copying of samples from other European factories significantly reduced the level of Meissen products.

Under Napoleon, the factory not only changed its name to the "Royal Saxon Manufactory", but also experienced a period of crisis, because of which it almost closed.

After the Napoleonic Wars, a consistent revival of the manufactory began. Karl von Oppel, who succeeded Marcolini, managed the company in 1814-1833 and reformed the technological and artistic processes. The main achievement of this time is considered to be the invention of "liquid gold" by Heinrich Gottlieb Kuhn. The durable glossy enamel created by him and some other compositions of paints on porcelain enlivened the palette of Meissen products. The middle of the XIX century was the time of landscape and genre painting, which decorated ceremonial vases and service sets. The motives of the master's painting were taken from samples of academic art. Especially popular were paintings by such masters as Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, Gottfried Semper, Ernst Ritschel. Since the 1860s, the era of historicism began, masters increasingly turned to works in the Rococo and Baroque style, which revived the former spirit and glory of the famous Meissen porcelain.

Art Nouveau in porcelain has found fertile ground for the implementation of fresh ideas. One of the masters of the new style was Konrad Henchel, who in 1896 came up with the design "Crocus". Items with this original motif were shown at an exhibition in Paris in 1900 and were a great success.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, production was updated with new creative forces. Young masters developed drawings for everyday objects that displaced traditional painting. At this time, amazing sculptures and small plastic objects are created, the artistic solution is based on the search for harmony in the juxtaposition of a floral motif and a female image.

After the First World War, the manufactory significantly expanded its range due to a variety of models. An important role in this was played by the artist Paul Scheurich, who created more than a hundred new figures that combined the traditions of Rococo and Art Deco. Russian Russian Ballet, a famous series of figures, was created under the impression of Diaghilev's Russian Seasons. Modern porcelain still does not lose its relevance and collectible value. The shapes of the products are traditional, the paintings repeat the old patterns and at the same time vary the new developments of the drawing. Talented craftsmen still work at the factory, taking care of their great heritage.

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