Meissen: centuries of porcelain-making tradition
In a present-age of speed, screens, and instant gratification, there are reasons to hold onto something tangible in your hands, something as simple as a cup, a plate, a bowl; all high-quality products made in the slow time-honoured way developed over centuries as an important local and, now national, cultural tradition.
First time porcelain production began in China going back at least 1000 years BCE with the subsequent centuries yielding hard durable highly-valued products in white, blue-and-white, and green. With European naval powers reaching Asia in the 16th and 17th-centuries, porcelain found new customers and high demand as “white gold” on par with gold and silver. Admiration and envy got many in Europe to thinking: all we need are some chalky deposits, some water, and some big hot ovens, and we’ll be rich … apart from chemistry, the correct firing or curing temperatures, experimentation, and skill. Until the early 18th-century all porcelain came from China, which is how the present-day phrase “(fine) china” arises.
The European debut to porcelain-making began in 1710 in Albrechtsburg castle in Meissen. When the big guy (who pays your wages or is holding you prisoner) says: “go ye therefore and make me some ‘gold'”, one tends to heed those orders. Frequently in need of funds, Augustus the Strong imprisoned and ordered the alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger to produce “gold”, but with mathematician and physicist Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus’ guidance, the two gentlemen did the next best thing and produced Europe’s first “white gold.” Porcelain manufacturing moved from the castle to the present location outside of Meissen’s old town in 1863.
We enter the Meissen Couture and its porcelain museum for a look behind the scenes. Why worry about modern techniques like 3-d printing when you’ve got motivated people willing to put in the hours; their hearts, minds, and souls into their craft? The basic creative instinct and personal touch live on in the town of Meissen in Germany’s Saxony.
The familiar “two blue crossed-swords” signature was introduced in 1720 and has been synonymous with Meissen porcelain since 1731.
Artistry and technique.
Cherub.
Pride in their work.
Hands.
Little heads.
Patient work (1a).
Patient work (1b).
Patient work (2a).
Patient work (2b).
Teller 5 (Plate 5): all designs are individually painted by hand.
Set 3 tlg. (3-piece set) for 179 Euros.
Porcelain bells, similar to those installed at the Zwinger Carillon in Dresden.
1743-1744 painting “La Belle Chocolatière de Vienne” (The Chocolate Girl, Das Schokoladenmädchen) by Jean-Étienne Liotard is the basis for the sculpture at right: “Schokoladenmädchen mit Tasse” (Chocolate girl with cup) made in 1920.
Selection from the Meissen Couture art collection: 23, 38, and 36 thousand Euros from left to right, respectively.
Saxonia.
At a height of 1.8 metres (6 feet), Meissen’s “Saxonia” is the largest free-standing porcelain sculpture in the world, constructed in time for the 25th anniversary (2015) of German reunification. Each of the 8000 blossoms in Saxonia’s dress is individually handmade. As of posting, there’s now a little Saxonia, 0.68 metre high with 4000 blossoms.
This 3-minute video is from the Meissen manufacture website.
From Dresden to Meissen:
Meissen is located on the river Elbe in the state of Saxony, some 25 kilometres northwest of Dresden. With the train from Dresden Hauptbahnhof (central train station), take the S1 S-Bahn directly to the route’s end-station at Meissen-Triebischtal. From the latter, a walk to the porcelain manufacturer and museum is at most 10 minutes. The total trip duration (train and walk) is about 50 minutes from Dresden.
• Meissen porcelain museum
• Germany Tourism listing
I’m grateful to Meissen Porcelain, Germany Tourism and Dresden Elbland for supporting and providing access to places and activities in the Saxon Elbland region. I made the photos above on 23 April 2015. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as http://wp.me/p1BIdT-70c.
Fotoeins Fotografie 
Please leave your comments below