Ceram 09 Prelims - Haughton International Fairs

OPENING HOURS:
Thursday 11th June, 2009
11am–7pm
Friday 12th June, 2009
11am–7pm
11th–14th June, 2009
Saturday 13th June, 2009
at
11am–7pm
The Park Lane Hotel
Sunday 14th June, 2009
11am–6pm
Piccadilly, London W1J 7BX
The International Ceramics Fair & Seminar
a HAUGHTON FAIR
SM
Organisers:
Brian & Anna Haughton
T he International C eramics Fair & Seminar, founded in 1982, is one of the world’s most
The International Ceramics Fair & Seminar
15 Duke Street, St. James’s,
London SW1Y 6DB
www.haughton.com
email: [email protected]
Telephone: +44(0)20 7389 6555 Fax: +44 (0)20 7389 6556
Press and Public Relations:
Sarah Harcourt-Webster (London)
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7389 6555
Magda Grigorian (New York)
Telephone:+1 212 877 0202 Fax: +1 212 877 0066
Construction:
EARLY ACTION GROUP
enduring and highly regarded specialist fairs, consistently bringing together leading ceramic
specialists, together with museum curators and academics, in a setting that successfully
combines the commercial and academic.
It is ideally suited to both institutional and private buyers, who have the opportunity to
purchase from a second-to-none selection of fine 15th century to contemporary British and
Continental pottery, porcelain and glass. Visitors will see an impressive selection, from
charming examples of early pottery production to the most sophisticated and elegant of
English and Continental porcelains through to a selection of contemporary ceramics and glass.
T he International C eramics Fair & Seminar is famous for its lecture programme, which
provides leading names in the ceramics world with the opportunity to share and discuss the
latest developments and research. In 2009, the lecture programme is once again sponsored by
The Ten Ten Foundation Inc. to whom we extend our grateful thanks.
Flowers:
LAVENDERS BLUE
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7937 8602 Fax: +44 (0)20 7610 0282
While The International Ceramics Fair & Seminar Ltd, the Advisory and Vetting Committees
of The International Ceramics Fair & Seminar and The Park Lane Hotel cannot be held responsible for,
or warrant, the genuineness or age of any article exhibited, visitors are requested to note that all
articles have been submitted for inspection by a panel of advisers. This is to ensure, as far as possible,
that they conform to the regulations laid down and that every article is authentic and of the period
stated.
Also, because of the early printing datelines for the catalogue all illustrations have been printed before
vetting takes place.
The organisers reserve the right to refuse admission to the fair and/or seminar.
Catalogue design & production: Cadman Creative Design Services
Printed by Caric Press
© The International Ceramics Fair & Seminar Ltd, 2009
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any
form or by any means without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form or
by any means without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding
or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on
the subsequent purchaser.
To ensure that the Fair maintains its reputation for offering items of the highest quality and to
enable visitors to feel confident in their choices, all pieces on display are strictly vetted by our
Honorary Vetting Committees. These committees are made up of advisers, museum curators
and dealers. We are extremely grateful to the committee members for giving so freely of
their knowledge, expertise and time.
We hope that you enjoy visiting the fair and that we will have the pleasure of your company
next year for the 2010 International C eramics Fair and Seminar.
Brian and Anna Haughton
Organisers
The Honorary Vetting Committees
Lecture Programme
Sponsored by The Ten Ten Foundation Inc.
Christopher Banks
Thursday 11th June
William Buck
2.15pm – 3.15pm – A1
Anthony du Boulay
DAME ROSALIND SAVILL Director, T he W allace C ollection
ADRIAN SASSOON Dealer, KATE MALONE C eramicist and ANGELA JARMAN G lass A rtist
Meredith Chilton
Anton Gabszewicz
Geoffrey Godden
Inspired by The Wallace Collection, London – Contemporary Ceramics and Glass
Dame Rosalind Savill, Adrian Sassoon, Kate Malone and Angela Jarman discuss the curator's point of view
and the contemporary artist’s response.
3.45pm – 4.45pm – A2
PROF. Dr. JOHANNES RAFAEL A cademic and C ollector
Pat Halfpenny
Kaendler’s Taxa
Sebastian Kuhn
Johann Joachim Kaendler’s Taxa report lists in chronological order the porcelain models he created for
Meissen from 1739 to 1746. The Taxa report is the most important source for Kaendler’s figural work. New
findings and further aspects will be discussed.
Reino Liefkes
John Mallet
5.00 – 6.00pm – A3
ANTON GABSZEWICZ Independent C eramic C onsultant, London
Two London Porcelain Factories, Chelsea and Bow: A Study in Contrasts
Errol Manners
Rachel Russell
Rosalind Savill
Julia Schottlander
Nicholas Sprimont and Thomas Frye had a very different approach to the manufacture and selling of
porcelain. They both left secure professions to become pioneers of these risky ventures in the mid 1740s.
Examining the products of both concerns in tandem allows for the differences and similarities of their
products, and the varied markets for which they were made, to be emphasised. The strengths and
weaknesses of each factory and the commercial acumen of these two remarkable entrepreneurs become
apparent.
Friday 12th June
11.30am – 12.30pm – B1
REINO LIEFKES Senior C urator C eramics & G lass C ollection, the V ictoria & A lbert Museum
The New Ceramics Galleries at the Victoria & Albert Museum, Opening 2009–2010
The lecture will introduce the Victoria & Albert Museum’s new Ceramics Galleries which are due to open in
two phases. The first phase, opening on 18th September 2009, will display over 3000 exhibits including many
master-pieces. It includes a world-wide introduction to the history of fine ceramics as well as a room
devoted to ceramic materials and techniques. The second phase, housing the V&A’s Ceramic Study
Collections will open in 2010.
3.00pm – 4.00pm – B2
GEOFFREY GODDEN A uthor and lecturer
The Related Limehouse, Lunds-Bristol and Worcester Porcelains. Ten Vital Years, 1746-1756
The Limehouse and Lunds-Bristol blue and white porcelains are related in more than the early period.
Geoffrey will show a selection of slides (drawn mainly from his own collection) showing these delightful but
rare wares as a related grouping – leading on to the commercially successful Worcester examples. Ten vital
years in the story of English ceramics, circa 1746-1756.
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Lecture Programme
Lecture Programme
Friday 12th June
Sunday 14th June
4.30pm – 5.30pm – B3
11.30am – 12.30pm – D1
MEREDITH CHILTON Editor-in-C hief and a contributing author of the Du Paquier publication “Fired by
Passion” to be published in September 2009.
ROGER MASSEY Lecturer and author
Fired By Passion: The Vienna Baroque Porcelain of Claudius Innocentius Du Paquier
Our knowledge and understanding of ceramic history has been greatly enhanced by studying dated and
documentary pieces. The lecture will examine the benefits and pitfalls of relying on dated and documentary
pottery and porcelain. The subject matter of this talk includes, amongst other things, Chinese porcelain from
shipwrecks and delftware plates commemorating the marriages of London merchants. The topic anticipates
the forthcoming English Ceramic Circle Exhibition to be held at the Brian Haughton Gallery, 15 Duke Street,
St James’s, London SW1Y 6DB: Friday 19th June – Wednesday 1st July. (The Gallery will be closed Saturday
20th; Sunday 21st; Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th June).
This lecture will look at the turbulent history and distinctive style of the Du Paquier manufactory, set within the
context of baroque Vienna, where “nothing can look more Gay or Splendid”. Du Paquier’s passion for rich and
intricate borders, glorious decoration and charming taste for surprise will be revealed. There will be glimpses of
new discoveries!
Saturday 13th June
Shipwrecks and Marriages – The Importance of Dated and Documentary Ceramics
2.30pm – 3.30pm – D2
11.30am – 12.30pm – C1
JONATHAN GRAY Independent researcher, focusing on Swansea and Bristol during the reign of G eorge III,
EC C C ommittee member and editor of the two volume W elsh C eramics In C ontext books, published in 2003
and 2005.
War and Peace – Swansea Ceramic and America
The Swansea pottery, on the north coast of the Bristol Channel, was well placed for European and American
export trade, especially after 1789 when the factory was run by Philadelphians. Jonathan will discuss his latest
research and provide a different view of looking at the factory's products, both pottery and porcelain, up to
1815. Arguably, Britain's best ceramic products of the early 19th century were made at this small Welsh factory,
especially when war with America made the potters turn to the London market.
3.00pm – 4.00pm – C2
DR KATHARINA HANTSCHMANN C urator of C eramics, Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, Munich and Meissen
Porcelain C ollection, Ernst Schneider Bequest at Lustheim C astle, near Munich. C ontributing author of the Du
Paquier publication “Fired by Passion” to be published in September 2009.
Court Dining in Baroque Vienna
In the 18th century official court dinners followed very precise rules, especially at the imperial court in Vienna.
Engravings of the time show us the atmosphere. The table ceremonial reflected the differences in rank within the
strictly ordered court and social hierarchy, which can be observed by many details. Even the material of the table
service reflected differences in social standing: at noble courts silver or silver gilt were obligatory. Nonetheless the
Viennese manufactory Du Paquier produced fine porcelain services for the savoury courses and succeeded in
selling them to important families of the empire.
DR. EKATERINA KHMELNITSKAYA C urator of Russian Porcelain T he State Hermitage Museum
Russian Imperial Porcelain in the Winter Palace during the Reign of Nicholas I
Nicholas I (b. 1796, reigned1825-1855) was an imperious and despotic ruler, his 30 year reign described as
“the time of official regulation of life and the arts.” Meanwhile, applied arts continued to flourish. He took
over the general artistic direction of the Russian Imperial Porcelain manufactory approving the designs for its
products. The achievements of the manufactory were marked by a gold medal at the Great Exhibition held
in London in 1851.
For almost 100 years the Imperial Porcelain Factory adhered to the principle proclaimed by Empress
Elizabeth - to make porcelain “from Russian earth”. Under Nicholas I that principle was breached, as
imported Limoges clay began to be added to the paste. However, the manufactory’s output in the midsecond half of the 19th century remains unsurpassed owing to its range, infinite variety and invariably high
quality.
4pm – 5pm – D3
CHRISTINA H. NELSON A uthor and independent curator
LETITIA ROBERTS Independent ceramics researcher and author
‘Flour Power’: Recent Discoveries in the Warda Stevens Stout Collection of German Porcelain
This talk chronicles the development of a significant collection of 18th century Meissen, Höchst and other
porcelain acquired during the quarter century following World War II. Now at the Dixon Gallery and
Gardens, Memphis, Tennessee, along with carefully preserved documentation, this collection sheds light on
the ceramics market of the period and shows the degree to which scholarship has advanced. The speakers
preview some of the exciting discoveries to be revealed in a book to appear later this year, which presents
recent scholarship heretofore unavailable in English.
4.30pm – 5.30pm – C3
JULIE EMERSON T he Ruth J.Nutt C urator of Decorative A rts, Seattle A rt Museum, USA
Room of a Thousand Porcelains
Brimming with European and Asian wares, the Seattle Art Museum’s new Porcelain Room has been conceived by
colour and theme, to blend visual excitement with an historical concept. As well as describing how this new
Porcelain Room for the 21st century was created to serve scholars and collectors, and to entice a new audience
into the world of 18th century European porcelain, the lecture will also highlight rare works from the collection,
including Vincennes, Strasbourg, Meissen, Chelsea and the earliest Worcester (Klepser Collection).
8
9
The Meissen Porcelains of the
Bavarian Electors - Highlights from
the historical collection in Munich
Daniela Antonin
The prince electors´ art collection of the Wittelsbach family in
Bavaria can no longer be displayed as a complete historic
collection. In the mid-nineteenth
century, numerous works from
the Munich residence were presented to the newly-founded
Bavarian National Museum as
representative exhibits by royal
decree. It was further reduced
after the Wittelsbach dynasty
lost political power as a result of
the introduction of democracy
in 1918. The royal house
received compensation payments, which were paid in selected artefacts from the former
estate of the Kingdom of Bavaria, including Meissen porcelain
from the Munich residence. In spite of all this, the historic
porcelain collection remains in the collections of the Munich
residence, the Bavarian National Museum and the
Wittelsbach Compensation Fund, which manages the
Wittelsbach assets. These collections formed the basis of my
research.
Who brought this remarkable collection of Meissen
porcelain to the court in Munich? Were one or more members of the Wittelsbach house enthusiastic porcelain collectors? These questions remained unanswered, even after
Rainer Rückert published many of the historic pieces in the
exhibition catalogue of 1966, which is still held in high esteem
today. Thus, the assertion of Friedrich H. Hofmann in 1912,
who held Saxon Princess Maria Anna, (1728–1797) to be an
10 ICF&S-2009
Figure 1. Tea ser vice for the Bavarian Prince Elector C arl A lbrecht,
1722-23, silver-gilt stand with the makers mark of Johannes
Engelbrecht (around 1673-1748), ca. 1730, Bayerische Verwaltung
der staatlichen Schlösser, G ärten und Seen (=BSV ), Munich,
Residenzmuseum, K.II.Mei 196 - 206.
exceptional porcelain enthusiast, remained for a long time
valid. The daughter of King Augustus III of Poland and granddaughter of Augustus the Strong, it was assumed, first
brought excellent pieces from Meissen to Munich as part of
her dowry, as the Saxon Prince Electors ran the Royal
Porcelain Manufactory in Meissen.
A note from 1723 confirms the great importance of the
close familial relationship between Bavaria and Saxony. The
dazzling career of the Bavarian already appeared certain after
the battle against the Ottomans outside the walls of Belgrade
(1688). The Emperor paid great respect to his victory and
gave him his daughter as a wife. However, her early death, the
sudden death of the first successor to the throne and the fact
that Max Emanuel sided with France during the Spanish War
of Succession turned his political destiny. After the Battle of
Hochstadt (Blenheim) in 1704, he was banished by the
Emperor, only returning from exile in France in 1715. At that
time, Max Emanuel put great hope in his oldest son, Carl
Albrecht. His progress through the political ranks was to start
with marriage to one of the Emperor’s daughters. However,
the Emperor Karl VI refused to allow the Bavarian Prince
Elector to marry Archduchess Maria Josepha, instead giving
her in marriage to the Saxon Prince Elector Friedrich August.
Augustus the Strong arranged many days of great celebrations to accompany the wedding of his son. The Saxon King
knew how to win the admiration of the royal families of
Europe with grand events. He had already succeeded in this
in 1710, when porcelain was successfully re-invented in
Saxony and he announced the establishment of the first
porcelain manufactory in Europe.
The most precious and fascinating designs on Meissen
Porcelain include the famous chinoiserie design by the porcelain painter and later court commissarius, Johann Gregorius
Höroldt (Fig. 1). It is a cheerful scene with figures of Asian
appearance. A note in the archives from 1723 gives an
impression of the "Popularity among strangers who come to
watch him work, often unannounced,which he suffers, with
the result that his most productive hours are stolen".1 The
curious visitors to the Meissen workshop displeased the
directors of the manufactory, as the great demand for delicate and precious decorations resulted in shortages in supply.
According to the entry in the files, Höroldt had thought up
the depictions six months previously. At this time, Augustus
the Strong was presented with the first service with
chinoiseries:
“T he ever improving work of the painter consists of and
where the pleasant smooth colours on the glazing, which
were invented six months ago and which the king viewed in
the ser vice he received with great delight. T hese smoothe
colours, find favour with customers, and makes making the
work so ver y popular with outside customers. In a short period of time, , that in a short time and for the wedding of his
majesty, the Bavarian Prince Elector, various and equally delicately painted dishes and a set of cane heads will go to
Munich at an appropriate price […]”.
Until now, 1723 was estimated as terminus post quem for
the production of Höroldt's tableware. However, the orders
described in the file are directly related to the wedding of the
Bavarian Prince Elector to the younger daughter of Emperor
Joseph the First, Maria Amalia, which had already taken place
in Munich in October 1722. Thus, the first tableware with the
famous chinoiserie design can now be dated to the year 1722.
The number of services made for the Munich court is not
known. Today, there are four services with chinoiseries by
Höroldt in Munich, of which two have silver-plated surtouts
[centrepieces] and are kept in the Munich residence and two
others without centrepieces are in the Bavarian National
Museum. However, I have not been able to find any basis for
distinguishing the services by year. Also, there is no basis for
identifying the figures depicted on the individual pieces. By
then, Höroldt had managed to teach the employees his characteristic style of decoration.
The Rich Rooms in the Munich residence
Among the grandest halls in the Munich residence were the
so-called Rich Rooms, whose decoration as state rooms was
commissioned by Prince Elector Carl Albrecht in the early
1730’s. The Prince Elector had two other state rooms furnished on the ground floor. These were a treasury and a
gallery of forefathers, which served to emphasise the nobility
of the Wittelsbach house. The Rich Rooms on the upper floor
form an enfilade of antechambers, audience rooms, mirror
halls and state bedrooms, which were used for the imperial
ceremonies. In this way, Carl Albrecht boldly sought to highlight his claim to the imperial crown of the Holy Roman
Empire of the German Nation. Fitted porcelain objets d’art
were also presented on decorative furniture by German and
French cabinetmakers in order to appropriately furnish the
grand rooms.
The conserved inventory of the Munich residence of 1769
proves that the porcelain ornamentation gradually increased
from the first antechamber to the mirror cabinet2. In the state
bedroom, which, according to the model of the French royal
court, was furnished with a state bed behind a gold-coloured
balustrade, the inventory mentions 25 East-Asian porcelain
pieces and “2 candleholders with bronze dorée bases, each of
which had two arms, on each of which a porcelain animal similar to a stag stood, each of which is ridden by a chinaman.”3
This mythical creature, a speckled deer, was an early Meissen
porcelain statue, which was still coated with a covering colour
glazing. On it sits the mounted god for long living, Shouxing,
made of Chinese porcelain. This socket consists of fire gilded
bronze which was manufactured in France and adapted.
The highlight of the sequence of rooms is the mirror cabinet, which was decorated with 70 individual porcelain objects
and a further 222 vases on wall shelves. Below this was a fitted four-piece chimney cover with Meissen peacock figures,
consisting of a clock, two candle holders and a cover socket
(Fig. 2), and four silver guéridons with inserted Meissen porcelain plates. (Fig. 3) The luxurious high tables, which illuminated
ICF&S-2009 11
Figure 4. Two of four large birds
(roller and jaybird) on tree branches
modelled by Johann Joachim
Kaendler, Meißen, 1735, BSV,
Munich, Residenzmuseum, K.I.Mei
61, K.I.Mei 62.
Figure 2. C lock from a fitted four-piece chimney cover with
Meissen peacock figures, Meissen, around 1725, mounted in fire
gilded bronze and with porcelain flowers from France, 1st half of
the 18th centur y. BSV, Munich, Residenzmuseum, K.III.Mei 248.
Figure 3. Two of four silver guéridons with inserted Meissen
porcelain plates G uéridons, BSV, Munich, Residenzmuseum, K.II.Mei
201 - K.II.Mei 204.
the precious decorations via the reflections in the wall mirrors, feature the hallmark of the respected Augsburg goldsmith, Johannes Engelbrecht (1673–1748). He inserted the
thin Meissen porcelain plates into the spaces in the stands,
which are decorated with delicate figurative chinoiseries. At
first glance, they resemble the work of Höroldt. However, the
decoration of these pieces is an imitation by the Augsburg
Auffenwerth atelier. Johann Auffenwerth and his daughter,
Anna Elisabeth Wald, copied the prized decoration by
Höroldt around 1730 as free hausmalerei on the white
Meissen porcelain shards. The guéridons are still displayed in
the mirror cabinet of the Munich residence today. This blatant
and grand courtship of the highest throne in the Holy Roman
Empire of German Nation was eminently successful. Prince
elector Carl Albrecht of Bavaria was crowned Emperor after
the death of Karl VI (1685–1740).
Although the inventory of the Munich residence had been
written over twenty years before, it can be assumed that the
rooms of Carl Albrecht or Emperor Karl VII changed little in
this time. His son, Max III. Joseph, had moved his state rooms
into another wing of the palace. Until now, the Meissen
porcelain tea service and the Höroldt chinoiseries were
believed to have been kept in the Green Gallery, which was
opposite the Rich Room on the upper floor. The inventory for
this room lists two each of “a large silver surtout with a tea
service of beautiful porcelain ornamented with gold”, which
was displayed on the table between the windows (Residence
Inventory 1769, fol. 38r–fol. 40r). They were linked with the
Meissen tea services made in 1722, which Höroldt and his
staff had decorated for the wedding of the Bavarian prince
elector. However, the bases made by the important goldsmith
from Augsburg, Elias Adam were fire gilded, where as the
named tea services stood on silver bases. However, the room
of princess elector, Maria Anna, was home to a tea service
with a “heavily gilded silver surtout”. Two other services
“made of Saxon porcelain” – without bases – were displayed
in the private rooms of the wife of Emperor Karl VII, Maria
Amalia. If this really was the early tea service ornamented by
Höroldt, the highly prized porcelain pieces had been moved
from the Rich Rooms to the rooms of the Princess Elector
and widow of the Emperor, so that it could still be used on
state occasions.
12 ICF&S-2009
Wilhelmine Amalia
The mother in law of Carl Albrecht, the widow of the emperor, Wilhelmine Amalia, had surely learned of his crowning as
emperor, before she died on April 10th 1742 in Vienna. She
had advised him against realising his ambitious intention. After
the untimely death of her husband Joseph I (1705–1711), his
widow had managed to obtain little political influence. This
may explain why her importance has not been the subject of
much historic or art-history research.4
There is a Meissen grooming service in the Munich
Residence, with a celadon-coloured rear, whose open cartouches contain depictions of the Habsburg double-eagle
emblem. It has long been known that it was part of the former porcelain collection of Wilhelmine Amalia. This fact did
not provoke any further investigation, althogh the working
reports of the Meissen master modeller, Johann Joachim
Kaendler, showed the emperor’s widow to be an exceptional porcelain enthusiast.5 The porcelain pieces made for
Wilhelmine Amalia by Kaendler include the apostle figurines
after the Roman statues in the San Giovanni church in
Laterano and an altar set based on the present made to the
Roman Cardinal Annibale Albani by the king.6
In my research, I came across a porcelain gift with which
Augustus III. explicitly honoured his mother-in-law in 1737.
This is documented in an invoice dated May 3rd of the year,
which describes a seven-part vase set and a tea service with
gold and purple landscapes in the
Dresden warehouse of the manufactory. The pieces included “7 chimney
covers glazed in green, yellow and
purple, with Japanese figures painted
on them” with a total value of 250
Reichstaler.4 &7 Together with the costs
of the “Emballage” [=the packaging],
the factory director Samuel Chladni charged a total of 330
Reichstaler and eight denarii (as a comparison: in 1737, the
wages of porcelain painter Carl Wilhelm Böhme amounted
to 82 Taler).8 The invoice total was acknowledged by the
Prime Minister of Saxony and Poland and director of the
porcelain manufactory, Heinrich Count Brühl (1700–1763).
Only the Viennese inventory of the estate of Wilhelmine
Amalia, which I discovered as part of my studies and published last October in the Keramos journal, sheds more light
on her collection of Meissen porcelain.9 For the “Inventory of
the legacy of her imperial and Hungarian and Bohemian royal
majesty Lady Wilhelmine Amalia” lists the furnishings of the
30 rooms in her last residence, the Salesian Convent on
Rennweg in Vienna.10 The inventory was completed on July
8th 1742, three months after her death. According to this
document, the imperial widow’s Meissen porcelain pieces
were kept in a room between her library and her bed-chamber. The individual items listed by the inventory include the
gilded and painted case of a pocketwatch, 4 large birds on
tree branches (Fig. 5), a gold-plated writing set with bells and
bowls, 1 “green molten night set, each item is marked with
ICF&S-2009 13
Figure 5. G arniture of seven vases with Royal “A R”
mark for Dowager Empress W ilhelmine A malia, BSV,
Munich, Residenzmuseum, K.III.Mei 3,4, 7-10 and
Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, Ker 1763.
the imperial eagle, consisting of 22 boxes with
lids, 2 lamps, 1 brush, 1 pin cushion, 1 mirror and
a round bowl, a figurine with a mussel on its back
in the shape of a watering can” with a corresponding basin [“Lavoir”] (Fig. 6 A & B) and four
white religious statues melted with gold, and the
statue of Saint John of Nepomuk on an elevated
pedestal. The above-mentioned pieces match
the porcelain of the Munich residence and the
Bavarian National Museum.11
Therefore, the Meissen porcelain collection in
Vienna reached Munich as a result of the inheritance. The imperial treasurer, Joseph de France, regulated the
division of the estate of Wilhelmine Amalia between the two
daughters, Maria Josepha and Maria Amalia. To do so, among
other measures, he drew up two lists of Meissen porcelain
and paintings and sent them to Munich and Dresden in
October 1742. As the elder daughter, Queen Maria Josepha
had first choice of one of the two lists, which
contained different items.12 In addition to
numerous family portraits and religious images,
the first list included a few Saxon porcelain
pieces, such as a seven-piece vase set with flowers and figures, a writing set and a chess set. The
queen chose the first estate list with the large
collection of paintings. The choice can not only
be explained by the well-known love of her husband, King Augustus III, for contemporary painting, but also due to the fact that the king already
had a large porcelain collection as the owner of
the manufactory.
14 ICF&S-2009
Figure 6a. T he Toilet ser vice with Imperial arms of Dowager
Empress W ilhelmine A malia, 1736, BSV, Munich, Residenzmuseum,
K.II.Mei 45 - K.II.Mei 66.
Figure 6b. Figure of Neptunus with basin, modeled by G ottlieb
Kirchner, Meißen, 1732, Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, Ker 1606, Ker
1556.
The partial estate in the second list, which was transported to Munich after Maria Josepha’s decisions, contained just
eleven portraits of less famous relatives and the abovementioned Meissen porcelain collection of Wilhelmine Amalia.
This also included a “dining set with three dishes above one
another” and also “4 average-sized pots with lids with bowls,
decorated blue with gold”13 (Fig. 7), but also the coffee and
tea service with a purple ornamentation, which Augustus III
had given as a gift. These items were given to the younger sister, Empress Maria Amalia in Munich.
I was able to establish that important Meissen pieces originate from the collection of imperial widow Wilhelmine
Amalia, who was among the most important collectors of
Meissen porcelain in the first half of the 18th century.
Based on the quoted archives, the theory that the porcelain collection in Munich was part of the comprehensive
dowry of the Saxon Princess Maria Anna (1728–1797) can
be disproven. In spite of this, I don’t want to deprive you of
this inventory. The documents on the dowry of the Saxon
princess Maria Anna (1728–1797), who married Bavarian
Prince Elector Max III Joseph (1745–1777), are preserved,
but have not yet been published. The documents show what
a princess in the mid-18th century received as a personal
endowment. Please allow me to explain some of the circumstances of the wedding agreement.
Max III Joseph
After the wars between Bavaria and Austria, and the sudden
death, Max III Joseph sought to reach an amicable agreement
Figure 7. Two of four tureens decorated blue with gold, Meißen,
model from 1722, BSV, Munich, Residenzmuseum, K.II.Mei 1,
K.II.Mei 4.
with Maria Theresia. He renounced all claims to the throne
and supported the imperial election of her husband, Francis
of Tuscany-Lorraine. The 18-year old Bavarian prince elector
now sought an appropriate match. He considerd a doublelinked connection to the Portuguese royal house in order to
ease the financial strain on the Bavarian electoral house.
However, Portugal was not interested in wedding negotiations. Thus, the early idea of a double-wedding of the children
of the two Habsburg sisters in Bavaria and Saxony was entertained. In spite of its economic prosperity, Saxony was repeatedly afflicted by major wars. For example, the battle of
Kesselsdorf Saxony lost against Prussia on December 15th
1745 cost one million Reichstaler war reparations and loss of
prestige. In contrast, the Bavarian princely house had reconciled itself with Austria, and now had considerable military
strength to defend itself against attacks.
Engagement gifts?
In June 1746, the engagement of the Bavarian Prince Elector
Max III Joseph and Princess Maria Anna of Saxony and the
Saxon Prince Elector Friedrich Christian and Princess Maria
Antonia of Bavaria was ceremonially announced.
From this time on, contacts between the Polish Royal
Court in Dresden and the Bavarian Court of Electors
became more frequent, and consisted largely in sending gifts
ICF&S-2009 15
or small favours. For example, the brides- and grooms-to-be
sent each other portraits to get to know each other, like the
perserved por trait of Maria Anna painted by Marie
Maximilienne de Silvestre (1708–1797). The Princess holds
the precious gift from the Prince Elector in her hand: The
gold-framed miniature with his portrait.
Visits to Dresden and Meissen
Max III Joseph travelled to the court of Dresden in August
1746. The Saxon Court Calendar records the “A rrival of His
Majesty the Prince Elector C arl Maximilian of Bavaria in
Dresden, on A ugust 28th 1746”.“Incognito” was added to this
as a comment to prevent excessive state ceremony during his
stay.
Visit to Meissen of the Bavarian Prince Elector
Just a few days later, on September 3rd 1746, Max III Joseph
visited the famous porcelain manufactory in Meissen. He
toured the workshops in the Albrechtsburg castle and drank
from the “Welcome”, an oversized Meissen porcelain key.
Afterwards, he sat down to dine. His visit to Meissen is also
noted in the invoice book: “In the Meissen porcelain factor y,
whither his Majesty the Prince Elector and his cortège came
to visit on Septemper 3rd, and even took a midday meal, his
Majesty paid 100 ducats paid to Director Hörold as a compliment.14
Thus, the Prince Elector met Höroldt, whose prized paintings decorated the wedding services of his father, shortly
before the royal weeding.
Porcelain gifts for Max III Joseph
The Bavarian invoice books also note expenditures for the
transport of substantial amounts of porcelain. These amounted to 230 Reichstaler, which were paid to coachman Gottlieb
Tieftrunck for the transport of three large and ten small cases
“with enamelled local porcelain, whereby each was addressed
separately”. This was Meissen porcelain with which “his
majesty the King of Poland etc. honours her Majesty the
Empress, his Highness the Prince Elector etc. and the privy
ministers and cavaliers in Dresden”.15 Unfortunately, the contents of the cases of porcelain were not listed in detail in the
invoice files of Max III Joseph.
Augustus III often used Meissen porcelain as a fitting diplomatic gift. For example, on the weddings of the Saxon
Princesses, he had a gift service delivered to his future sonsin-law, as is also documented for the weddings of Saxony to
Naples-Sicily and France in 1738 and 1747. What exactly the
Bavarian Prince Elector received as a porcelain gift is, as mentioned already, not recorded in the preserved written documents. However, if one examines the dating of the Munich
16 ICF&S-2009
porcelain collection and the occasion of the gift from the King,
the coffee and tea service decorated in gold and with naturalistic effaced flowers, which would also have been worthy as
a high regal present in terms of its value, stands out (Fig. 8).
The show-piece of the 25 part gold-plated coffee and tea
service is the crane-shaped pot on three elevated rocaille
feet. Along with the Höroldt tea set, this service is among the
most precious porcelain pieces in the collection of the Court
of Munich. It was also an ideal complement to a silver-plated
court service of the house of the Princes Elector house, and
a set of gold-plated Chinese porcelain dishes engraved with
hunting scenes.
Wedding
In June 1747, Bavaria and Saxony celebrated the double marriage of the two houses of Prince Electors. The brides and
grooms were wed in the presence of a high-ranking representative. Just a few days after the wedding ceremonies, the
princesses travelled to their new husbands. Both ladies
brought their endowments and dowries with them.
The inventory of Saxon Princess Maria Anna
On July 12th 1747, Maria Anna arrived in Munich as the married Princess Elector of Bavaria. The personal possessions she
brought with her were documented in writing in the
"Inventor y of her majesty Maria A nna, Princess Elector of
Bavaria, born Pol. and Sax. Princess’s dowr y, consisting of
bridal jeweller y, and other precious items, jewels, gold and silver, clo thing, lace, accesso ires and w eapo nr y".16 The
“Jewellery” section mentions the only porcelain in the inventory: “A porcelain tabatiere decorated with diamonds”.17 The
comprehensive collection of hunting equipment, summarised
under the headings “Weapons” and “Pirschstutzen”, is also
striking. It shows the importance of hunts at the Saxon court.
Inventory of Maria Antonia
The dowry of Maria Antonia, born Princess of Bavaria and
now Princess Elector of Saxony, was not acknowledged by
Baron Hugo Wilhelm of Wetzel, the Bavarian emissary to the
Saxon Court in Dresden, until May 20th 1748.18 The inventory divides the dowry “brought here from Bavaria” into twelve
categories. Of these, the headings “Specification of Jeweller y”,
“G old and silver jewels, in the form or watches, tabatieres,
etuis, fans, etc.”, “Lace”, “C lothing”, and “G uns” correspond to
those of the Saxon Princess. The extensive dowry of the
Wittelsbach Princess Maria Antonia was also divided into the
categories “Silver dishes, some of which are gold plated, and
some are not.”, “W hite linen”, “A ll church ornaments and all
items related to the chapel”, “Hand librar y”, “Medals, old
Roman and modern gold, silver and copper coins“ and
Figure 8. C offee pot
probably from a gift
delivered to the
Bavarian Elector Max III
Joseph in 1746. BSV,
Munich,
Residenzmuseum,
K.II.Mei K.II.Mei 27.
“Musical equipment”. The titles
reflect the wide range of interests of
the deeply religious and highly musical Princess Elector. The comprehensive endowment allowed her to
continue to pursue her personal likings and interests. Her Meissen
porcelain accessoires are listed
under “G old and silver jewels”: “A
tabatiere of Saxon porcelain bound
in gold, on a pug dog”, “A Saxon
porcelain tabatiere bound in gold,
containing a large portrait of Her
Majesty the Q ueen” and “A rectangular white tabatiere made of Saxon
porcelain bound in gold”.19 Based on
this general description, these
tabatieres can no longer be identified in the Dresden porcelain collection. While the tabatiere with the
portrait of her aunt and mother-inlaw could have been a gift from the Saxon Court, the mention of the Meissen porcelain pieces in Maria Antonia’s dowry
remains unusual. After all, the Bavarian Princess was now
moving into the Dresden Court as the married Saxon
Princess Elector, where, as a member of the Saxon-Polish
Prince Elector family, she had preferential access to the products of the famous Saxon porcelain manufactory.
However, the Bavarian Princess not only returned the
abovementioned porcelain tabatieres to Saxony. Under the
entry “Silver dishes, some of which are gold plated, and some
are not“, after the materially more valuable silver and gold
dishes, items from Meissen are listed: “A soup bowl with lid
and matching saucer made of Saxon porcelain. C oloured figures are painted in gold on the white base. T he plate is
enclosed in a gold plated double ring on the underside.” 20
Maria Antonia also brought three other pieces of Meissen
porcelain to the Dresden Court: “A white Saxon porcelain
statue, seated and holding an open book“ and “Two girandoles, each with two lights, painted with flowers, whose foot
is made of gold-plated bronze, on which a white cock made
of Saxon porcelain stands.” 21 While the abovementioned candlesticks with the cock are neither in Munich’s museums nor
in the Zwinger’s porcelain collection, the inventory of the
Bavarian National Museum contains a female figure reading.
The figure depicts a nun in a black habit, reading an open book
of psalms.
The last Meissen porcelain item in the inventory could also
have been a crucifixion scene which is listed without mentioning the manufactory as “A nother porcelain crucifix with the
mother of G od and Saint John” under the title of “A ll religious
ornaments and other items related to chapels”.22 This very
probably refers to pieces from Meissen, as there are no products from other manufactories except East-Asian porcelain.
Only the figure of a mourning Saint John has remained in the
Munich porcelain collection, which definitely was part of a
Meissen porcelain crucifixion scene. The ornamentation and
the socket of the figurine suggest a date of origin around
1750.
ICF&S-2009 17
Summary
The publication of the inventories not only allowed us to
compare the dowry of a princess in the mid-18th century, but
also allows us to conclude how the comprehensive endowments reflect the preferences of the court and the interests
of the Princess. Thus, Maria Anna received precious jewellery
in accordance with the wealth of Saxony, while the comprehensive hunting equipment reminds us of the passion of King
August III for hunting, a passion surely shared by Maria Anna.
Of course, the topic of hunting was also used as a basis for
many porcelain statues and motifs. As explained, Maria Anna’s
inventory did not contain any Meissen porcelain – except for
a tabatiere with diamonds. Of course, this can be explained by
the fact that King Augustus III had already given porcelain gifts
to the Bavarian Prince Elector on their engagement. However,
it remains surprising that the Saxon Princess possessed no
personal porcelain pieces other than a tabatiere.
On the other hand, the dowry list of the Bavarian Princess
Maria Antonia proves that the Bavarian Court used Meissen
porcelain not only as accessories, but also already – among
those who owned some– as state dishes, room and altar decorations. With her personal collection of Meissen porcelain,
Maria Antonia, who now moved to Saxony as the wife of the
Saxon Prince Elector, demonstrated to the Royal Court in
Dresden the esteem in which she held the famous porcelain
products of the royal manufactory in Meissen.23
Porzellan Warenlager zu Dresden 1737.
8
See Rainer Rückert: Biographische Daten der Meißener
Manufakturisten des 18. Jahrhunderts, München 1990, p. 140.
9
Daniela Antonin: Neue Erkenntnisse über die Meißener Porzellane
der Kaiserinwitwe Wilhelmine Amalia (1673 - 1742): die
Geschenke König Augusts III von Polen sowie weitere
Porzellanbestellungen für seine Schwiegermutter in Wien, Keramos,
2007, 197, p. 69–76.
10
“Inventarium über die Hinterlassenschaft Ihro Kayserlichen auch
Zu Ungarn und Böhmen Königl[ichen]: M[ajes]t[ät]: Frauen frauen
Wilheminae Amaliae”. The convent was founded by the deeply
religious monarch. Sächsisches Hauptstaatsarchiv
Dresden[=SächsHStA], Loc. 366/6, Acta der verwittibt gewesenen
Römischen Kaiserin Amalia Wilhelmina, 1742, fol. 246r–280r.
11
“Ein grünlich geschmölzter gantzer NachtZeug, jedes Stück mit
dem kaÿserl. Adler gezeichnet, bestehend in 22 gedeckten
Schachteln 2. Leuchtern 1. Bürste. 1. Nadel Polster 1. Spiegel, […]
1Figur in form eines Gießbeckens sammt Lavoir”. SächsHStA
Dresden, Loc. 366/6, Acta der verwittibt gewesenen Römischen
Kaiserin Amalia Wilhelmina, 1742, fol. 256v-257r.
12
SächsHStA Dresden, Geheimes Kabinett, Loc. 366/06, f.397r–426v.
13
See footnote above.
14
“In die Porcellain=fabrica zu Meiss[e]n, alwohin Sich Ihro
Churfürstl[iche]:D[u]r[ch]l[auch]t: Unser genedigster Herr u[nd]
mit dero Suite den 3t: 7bris erhoben, und selben zu
beaugenscheinigen, daselbst über Mittag gespeiset, haben
höchstgedacht dieselbe als eine Verehrung angeschafft, und an den
Directorem Herold durch mich zahlen lassen 100 Ducaten [...].
Geheimes Hausarchiv München, Korrespondenzakten 790/1, fol.
19r.
15
“Ihro Maÿ[es]t[ät]: der König von Pollen pp an Ihro May[es]t[ät].
Kaÿhzerin pp Ihro Churf[ü]r[s]t[liche]:D[u]r[ch]t[laucht]: pp dan an
die g[e]h[eimen] herr[e]n Ministros und Cavaliers zu Dresden
verehret.” Ibid., fol. 14v.
16
SächsHStA Dresden, OU 14884, Inventarium über der
Durchleuchtigsten Fürstin ... Maria Anna, Churfürstin von Bayern, ...
mitgebrachten Braut=Geschmuck, 1747.
Footnotes
1
2
Johann Gregorius Höroldt (1695–1775) und die Meissener
Porzellanmalerei. Zur dreihundertsten Wiederkehr seines
Geburtstages. Ausstellung Porzellansammlung, Staatliche
Kunstsammlungen Dresden, hrsg. v. Ulrich Pietsch, Leipzig 1996,
p.19.
See Edgar Bierende: Glanz und Pracht. Ostasiatisches Porzellan in
den ‘Reichen Zimmern’ der Münchener Residenz, Weltkunst 7,
2002, p. 1097.
3
“2 Leichter samt fueßgestellen von Pronze d´orée200, jeder auf
zween Kerzen gerichtet, deren Arm ein ligendes thier von
Porcellain, welches einem hirschen gleichet, und worauf ein
Chineser von Porcellain sizet, gleichsam umfangen”. Inventory oft
he Munich Residence from 1769, Verwaltung der Bayerischen
Schlösser Gärten und Seen, Bibliothek, fol. 17r.
4
On this, to date: Charles W. Ingrao: Empress Wilhelmine Amalia
and the Pragmativ Sanction, Mitteilungen des österreichischen
Staatsarchivs 34, 1981, S. 333–341 and ibd.: Kaiser Josef I. Der
‘vergessene’ Kaiser, Graz/Wien/Köln 1982.
5
Kaendler’s own reports have been published by Ulrich Pietsch
(Hrsg.): Die Arbeitsberichte des Meißener Modelleurs Johann
Joachim Kaendler 1706–1775, Leipzig 2002.
6
See T. H. Clarke: ‘Die Römische Bestellung’ – Die Meißener AltarGarnitur, die August III. dem Kardinal Annibale Albani im Jahre
1736 schenkte, Keramos 86, 1979, p. 3–52.
7
“7 St[ück]. C amin A ufsätze mit grün, gelb und pourpre G lasur und
Japansche Figuren darin emailiert”. Sächsisches Hauptstaatsarchiv
Dresden (=SächsHStAD), Geheimes Kabinett, Loc. 521/02,
18 ICF&S-2009
17
Ibid., No 29.
18
SächsHStA Dresden, OU 14888, Inventarium über der
Durchleuchtigsten Fürstin und Frauen ... Maria Antonia, 1748.
19
Ibid., fol. 5v–6r.
20
“Eine Suppen=Schaalen mit Deckel, nebst dem dazu
gehörigenUntersatz=Teller, von Sächs. Porcellaine, der Grund weiß
mit bunten Figuren darein gemahlen, starck vergoldt, die Schaalen
und der Deckel inwendig von Silber doppelt vergoldt ausgefüttert,
und der Teller unten mit einem Silber doppelt vergoldten Reif
eingefasst” . Ibid., fol. 9v.
21
“Eine Statua von Sächs.weißem Porcellaine sitzend und ein offenes
Buch in der Hand haltend” sowie “Zwey Girandoles, jeder Zu
Zwey Lichtern, émaillirt mit Blumen; das Piedestal von Bronze
Surdoré, worauf bey einem jeden ein weißer Hahn von Sächs.
Porcellaine stehet”. Ibid., No. 28, fol. 10v und No. 41, fol. 11v.
22
“Ein anderes Crucifix von Porcellaine, wie auch die Mutter Gottes
und St. Joannes” under the title of “sämtlichen Kirchen-Ornat, und
allen übrigen zur Capell gehörigen Sachen”. Ibid., No. 5, fol. 15v.
23
I thank Dr. Sabine Heym and Sabine Weis, Bayerische Verwaltung
der staatlichen Schlösser, Gärten und Seen (Munich), Dr. Renate
Eikelmann and Katharina Hantschmann, Bayerisches
Nationalmuseum (Munich) for providing me with photographs.
With thanks to Julia Weber (Munich) and Jessica Keating (Chicago)
for their kind support.
English Ceramics in
National Trust Houses
Anthony du Boulay
I have been adviser on ceramics to the National Trust since
1981, but this is a very part-time job and now Patricia
Fergusson has made immense strides in improving our knowledge of the history and attributions of the objects.
There are some 84 houses which have ceramic contents,
most of which include something of interest to a wide range
of collectors. Put altogether we would have a collection which
would rival most international museums. Three houses have
great 20th century collections of English ceramics, Fenton
House, Clandon Park and Upton, while Saltram and
Wallington have great 18th century collections.
I will first describe those English ceramics which are in the
South-West. In Cornwall Cotehele, on the west bank of the
Tagus north of Plymouth, has some very important 17th century English Delft ceramics. There are three bottles, one for
“Sack” dated 1643, the others for “Sack” and for “Whit” dated
1646. These appear in a lithograph of c. 1840 by Nicholas
Condy and could have been in the house since they were
made, but also bought by the 3rd Earl of Mount Edgcombe
who was a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and could have
acquired them together with the two great London Delft
chargers, one dated 1670 with the arms of the Weaver’s
Company, the other dated 1673 with the initials I.M. and the
unusual feature of a border imitating blue and white Kraak
porselein in polychrome. Nearer the coast, Anthony House
has some good English porcelain including Chelsea gold
anchor vases.
However, just east of Plymouth, Saltram has one of the two
best 18th century collections of European porcelain in the
Figure 1. A Derby white sauce boat c. 1752. Morley C ollection,
Saltram, © National Trust Photographic Librar y
National Trust. The English porcelain includes some great rarities, first amongst which is a beautiful white Derby sauceboat
c. 1752 (Fig. 1) modelled as a shell sitting on a mound of small
shells with a crayfish handle. This is quite different to the
Sprimont examples but in my opinion finer and, on the
assumption that John Mallet is correct in attributing a small
group of very early Derby figures and groups to the sculptor
Agostino Carlini (1728-1790) this could also be by him,
c. 1752. Of about the same date is a white canary which John
Mallet, backed by Arthur Lane and Robert Charleston, had as
triangle period Chelsea in the early 1960s. It was reattributed
by Bernard Watney to Derby in 1968, but since then it has
gone back to London, but more likely ‘Girl in the Swing’ than
Chelsea. There are other beautiful English ceramics at Saltram
such as the two Chelsea red anchor period fishermen based
on the models by Kaendler and Reinicke, but given new life by
their modeller Joseph Willems. There is also a complete
Worcester tea and coffee service painted en camaieu verte
with landscapes in the workshops of James Giles. In 1774 a
ICF&S-2009 19
Figure 2. A Wedgwood basalt vase painted in the C helsea studio
with putti, Morley C ollection, Saltram, © N.T.P.L.
Figure 3. A Worcester octagonal teapot with chinoiserie c. 1752,
Mrs. A dam Smith C ollection, Mompesson House, © N.T.P.L
Figure 4. A Lambeth Delft charger dated 1660, Sackville
C ollection, Knole, © N.T.P.L.
Figure 5. Pair of Bow figures of Henr y Woodward and Kitty C live,
c. 1752, Lord Bearsted C ollection, Upton, © N.T.P.L.
Mr. Parker bought a similar 43 piece service from Giles for 15
guineas. Parker was the family name of the Earls of Morley
who lived at Saltram, but they did not receive their first title
of Lord Boringdon until 1784. Naturally enough for a house
near Plymouth, that factory is represented in the collection, in
particular with a mug painted with birds in the style associated with “M. Soqui”. Soqui was described by George Harrison
as follows “whose ornamental style delineation on articles
manufactured was extremely beautiful”. This must be Michel
Socquet who is first recorded as a painter at Vincennes in
1753, then at Sèvres 1756-64. He was then absent - probably
at Plymouth - but returned to Sèvres in 1773.
As well as porcelain Saltram has some very fine early
Wedgwood. This was fully discussed by John Mallet in
C ountr y Life in June 1966. Theresa Parker was an avid collector and wrote to her brother Lord Grantham “I have just
been ornamenting a Glass case you have seen in my dressing
room with China. The principal shelf with the only China that
deserved to be called ornament, I mean the biscuit, and the
other with figures of the same material, which confirms my
opinion in favour of the French, the lower shelf being the
unglazed Dresden dogs hunting stags and bears etc., not bad,
and the upper row Chinese models – very bad, but not bad
of their kind, I think also I may place some of the Wedgewood
(sic) best unglazed Black ware, for that may bear a comparison with the French”. The Saltram accounts show payments
to Wedgwood of 14 guineas on 27th March 1772 for black
Staffordshire ware, but do not specify the pieces concerned
(Fig. 2). Among the most interesting are basalt vases with
enamelled decoration done in Wedgwood’s Chelsea studio
described at the time “4 little figures painted on black grounds
copies of the Herculaneum boys which they now paint to
perfection on that ware”. There are also two basalt potpourri vases which show, according to research done by
Jennifer Montagu in 1954, that the bowls are copied from a
Hellenistic bronze lamp c. 400 BC, while the figures supporting them are from a silver-gilt crucifix by Antonio Gentile da
Faenza given to St. Peter’s Rome in 1582. There are also three
Queens’ ware engine-turned vases with gilt decoration which
were made between 1764 and 1770 and agate ware
examples.
Further west along the Devon coast “A La Ronde” has a
pair of teabowls and saucers with the arms of Parminter. Jane,
who built this eccentric house was the daughter of John
Parminter, a Lisbon merchant. North of Exeter we find
Killerton which houses the collection of English and
Continental 18th century porcelain left to the National Trust
by Mrs. Fullerton of Tenterden, Kent. Amongst these pieces is
a Vauxhall sauceboat transfer-printed in colours with flowers
similar to pl. 211c in Bernard Watney’s paper read to the
English Ceramic Circle on the 28th January 1989 (vol. 13 part
3). There are also figures, including some Bow birds, and
among the Chelsea a scolopendrium leaf teabowl.
In the Close at Salisbury, Mompesson House has much of
the collection of English 18th century porcelain formed by
William Bessemer Wright between the two World Wars, and
left to the Trust by his daughter, Mrs. Adam Smith. This fills
two large cases, one in the Drawing Room, the other in the
Dining Room. The Worcester has a beautiful early octagonal
teapot with chinoiserie (Fig. 3) and a handsome jug of the
Scratch Cross family.
The strength of the collection is in the figures and groups,
mainly from the Bow and Derby factories, but there are also
vegetable tureens from Worcester, Longton Hall and others.
A Longton Hall vine leaf dish with a view of a typical late 17th
century manor house by the Castle painter and a pair of rare
Plymouth recumbent lions are other pieces of note. As a
reminder of the state of knowledge before the second World
War, all the Derby figures, the Longton Hall cauliflower
tureen and the Worcester cauliflower tureen were all listed
as “Old Chelsea” in the Bessemer Wright catalogue.
Stourhead, near Mere, Wiltshire, has a collection of English
porcelain including some good pieces of Chelsea as well as
Worcester and Derby. Henry Hoare was also a client of
Wedgwood and there are several pieces, including a canopic
jar, which was recorded at the time on the chimney piece.
Kingston Lacey, near Wareham in Dorset, has virtually no
English porcelain but one of the most important pieces of
English Delft in the National Trust. The exterior of this blue
and white punch bowl is painted with a hunting scene while
the interior has the Bankes arms and the date 1707. Travelling
along the South coast across Hampshire is Uppark on the
Sussex border. It was devastated by fire in 1989, and the family’s private collection of porcelain fell two floors into the
basement. The rarest pieces, two white squirrels from the
Chelsea triangle period (1745-49) may however be able to
be re-constructed after innumerable hours of painstaking
research and sorting of fragments. Other pieces not dam-
20 ICF&S-2009
ICF&S-2009 21
Figure 6. A Longton Hall bust of King G eorge II as Prince of Wales
c. 1758, Mrs. Elsie Bambridge C ollection, W impole, © N.T.P.L.
Figure 7. A C helsea figure of a C anon of C ologne.
Mrs. Sheila Pettit C ollection, Wallington, © N.T.P.L.
Figure 8. T he original print from which Figure 7 was taken by
Bonani c. 1755. Mrs. Sheila Pettit C ollection, Wallington, © N.T.P.L.
Figure 9. A Bristol figure of a milkmaid modelled by Pierre Stephan
c. 1772, Lady Binning C ollection, Fenton House, © N.T.P.L.
aged include a late 17th century London Delft pill slab with
the arms of the Apothecaries Company, similar to one at
another National Trust house, Townend. The family still own a
large Chelsea red anchor period set of Hans Sloane plates,
the National Trust having similar plates at Greys Court, near
Henley.
Knole, at Sevenoaks, Kent has some important early English
Delftware which includes a dish of metal form similar to others illustrated by Lipski & Archer in their monumental volume
of Dated English Delftware. It is dated 1660 and has the initials of Nicholas Rapley and Alice Gaist who married on 29th
August 1658 at St. Saviour’s, Southwark (Fig. 4). A similar
example in the Franks Collection at the British Museum is
dated 1655 and bears the arms of the Worshipful Company
of Pewterers. At that time John Campion was Master of that
Company. One or two scholars have put forward the theory
that they are of Faenza majolica decorated in London, but I
would still stick to its original attribution. There is also a fasci-
nating Worcester dessert service painted with flowers on a
scale blue ground mostly decorated at the factory, but the
sauce tureens are Giles decorated.
Returning Nor th-West to Upton near Banbury in
Oxfordshire, the 2nd Lord Bearsted made one of the most
important collections of Chelsea gold anchor period porcelain, as well as some Bow, Derby and other factories. The
Chelsea includes a set of ten figures of Apollo and the Nine
Muses. Only one other complete set is recorded, though the
separate bases of the Bearsted set show three slightly different patterns. The florid design and heavy use of gilding are not
quite the fashion today, but they are considered amongst
Joseph Willems’ masterpieces. There are also five pairs of
groups illustrating fable scenes and a large case with figures of
famous people, including a Bow figure of the Marquis of
Granby, a Chelsea figure of John Coan, English dwarf, and a
Derby figure of Field-Marshal Conway. There are only two red
anchor period pieces, a group symbolising Marriage which
appears to be unique, and the famous figure of La Nourrice.
The Music Lesson is perhaps the grandest group in this series
of gold anchor Chelsea wares, while the largest of all Chelsea
figures “Una and the Lion” was transferred from the Victoria
& Albert Museum about ten years ago, and could be the
example mentioned by J. E. Nightingale on p. 82 of
C ontributions towards the Histor y of Early English Porcelain,
1981. Also sent from the Victoria & Albert Museum at the
same time is the famous Dudley set of seven vases with crimson grounds reputedly given by George III to Lady Cope as
a wedding present in 1767. These and a number of the figures and groups are discussed by Elizabeth Adams in C helsea
Porcelain London 1987. There are also a pair of Bow figures
of Henry Woodward (1717-1777) and Kitty Clive (17111785) (Fig. 5). She is modelled after a drawing by Worlidge
engraved by Charles Moseley in 1750 and probably modelled
in the same year. He is after a mezzotint by James McArdell
after Francis Hayman. They represent the “Fine Lady” and
“Fine Gentleman” in Garrick’s farce “Lethe”. She was probably painted in the workshop of William Duesbury, the flowers on her skirt being typically of figures of Kitty Clive mentioned in his London account books of 1751-53. Worcester
and Liverpool are only represented by a few pieces and there
is a Nantgarw plate from the Mackintosh service, one of very
few Welsh pieces in National Trust houses.
Wimpole, in Cambridgeshire just north of Royston, has a
small but very select collection of porcelain made by Rudyard
Kipling’s daughter Mrs. Elsie Bambridge, foremost amongst
which is one of only three versions known representing the
bust of King George III as Prince of Wales (Fig. 6). It has been
attributed to Chelsea modelled by Roubiliac, but Bernard
Watney considered it more likely to be Longton Hall.
Chelsea is however represented by the group of “Dutch
Dancers” as described in the 1755 sale catalogue. It is a version by Joseph Willems of the famous Meissen group modelled by Eberlein in 1735, remodelled by Kaendler in 1743,
22 ICF&S-2009
ICF&S-2009 23
Figure 10. A pair of Bow figures of Dismal Hounds c. 1755, Lady
Binning C ollection, Fenton House, © N.T.P.L.
Figure 11. A C helsea figure of a Scotsman, known as Bonnie Prince
C harlie, c. 1758, Lady Binning C ollection, Fenton House, © N.T.P.L.
Figure12. A W hieldon type teapot in the Kangxi style, c. 1760, Mrs.
David G ubbay C ollection, C landon Park, © N.T.P.L.
where it is described as Harlequin dancing the mazurka with
a girl. Bow has the small comedy figures of Harlequin and
Scapin of c. 1750 by the Muses modeller of the same series
as those at Wallington, while Longton Hall has a group of a
putto riding a horse after the bronze by Fenelli.
Hanbury, South of Birmingham in Worcestershire, has a
collection of Worcester made by Lady Vernon, the wife of the
last private owner of the house. It represents typical examples
of the Dr. Wall period. R. S. Watney also left the National Trust
his collection of late 18th century English figures mainly from
the Derby factory, and there is also a small collection of early
19th century armorial pieces, mostly from Worcester.
Shugborough near Stafford has only a few pieces of English
porcelain and pottery, and the most interesting is a sauce
tureen in Queens’ ware with coloured views in Shugborough
Park. This is a forerunner of the famous “Frog Service” of 952
pieces sent to the Empress Catharine’s palace “La
Grenouillière” at a cost of £2,600. The decoration was done
in Wedgwood’s Chelsea studio in Cheyne Row.
Another house with a few interesting pieces is Erddig near
Wrexham, just inside Wales. There they have a pair of Chelsea
plaice tureens, covers and stands which were probably the
ones mis-described in the 1789 inventory as “2 stands and 2
carp sauce boats – 6 pieces in all”. There is also an early white
Bow figure of “Liberty” as well as other Chelsea and Derby.
Up near Hadrian’s Wall, about 25 miles west of Newcastle,
Wallington has the most distinguished collection made in the
18th century. While with a few exceptions it is no longer possible to identify the exact provenance, most of the collection
came as part of the dowry of Maria Wilson on her marriage
to Sir John Trevelyan in 1795. Her mother, wife of Sir Thomas
Spencer Wilson of Charlton Park, Greenwich, was an avid collector frequenting auctions and dealers. Charlton was just
across the Thames from Bow which is represented by a number of rare and early figures made between 1750 and 1752.
The Harlequin is after the engraving after Elias Bäck of
Gioseppe Ferdinand Muller in that part, while Pulcinella is
after the lost picture by Watteau called “Le départ des comediens Italiens”. There is also an otherwise unrecorded group
of the Fortune Teller after Boucher and a pair of figures of
chaffinches. Among other English porcelain of merit are several gold anchor period pieces including a claret-ground vase as
well as a Longton Hall leaf-moulded deep bowl and cover.
Added to the collection are a series of figures of monks and
nuns left to Wallington by Sheila Pettit, the former National
Trust representative for the region which I discussed in
C ountr y Life in June 1986 (Figs. 7 & 8). From an earlier period when the house was owned by the Blackett family are a
pair of English Delft chargers, probably from Liverpool, commemorating the 1741 election inscribed “let us drink success
to Blackett and Fenwick”.
I will finish with two houses which have important 20th
century collections of porcelain. The first is Fenton House,
Hampstead, London, which has a large collection of Chinese,
German and English porcelain. On the ground floor is a room
devoted to this, and the left hand cabinet has the English
porcelain figures. There are important examples from
Chelsea, Bow and Bristol, including the Pierre Stephan
Seasons, based on the original instructions of February 17th
1772, as well as a milkmaid (Fig. 9) and companion. It is interesting to compare the modelling of these with others of the
same date modelled by “Tebo” which show that the latter was
a skilled “repairer” but not a great sculptor. There are two
hares from Plymouth after the Meissen originals, which have a
note that they were modelled by a Mrs. James. Bow is among
others represented by a beautiful pair of “Dismal Hounds”
(Fig. 10) while Chelsea has some grand gold anchor period figures and groups modelled by Willems, not Roubilliac as the
incised R marks once led scholars to believe. Possibly unique
is a Chelsea figure of “Bonnie Prince Charlie” dating to c. 1758
(Fig. 11). In the upstairs drawing room there are some fine
examples of Dr. Wall Worcester, including a tall blue-ground
vase with chinoiserie panels in the style once associated with
Donaldson and a plate with a fable scene by Jefferyes
Hamnett O’Neale.
On the way to our final house, Clandon Park near
Guildford, it might be worth paying a visit to Polesden Lacey
which has great pictures and Chinese porcelain, but very little
24 ICF&S-2009
English. However, a pair of putti emblematic of autumn are
Vauxhall rather than their traditional attribution to Plymouth.
As far as I know they are the only Vauxhall figures in the
National Trust.
Clandon Park does have the most important collection of
porcelain in the National Trust, left by Mrs. David Gubbay of
Little Trent Park. As well as English pottery and porcelain
there are wonderful Chinese 18th century figures of birds,
Meissen and other German figures and wares as well as
Sèvres and even a documentary pair of Nove jardinières. The
18th century Staffordshire pottery is probably the best the
Trust possesses particularly in Astbury and Whieldon types. I
will pick out a very few with an Astbury type double-walled
teapot in the Kangxi style (Fig. 12) and a cavalry man at one
time called George II at Dettingen. The Whieldon type
includes a boy on a buffalo also based on a Kangxi original,
while among the saltglaze pieces is a plate transfer-printed
with the fable of the Bull and the Frog under a green wash.
The English porcelain is led by a coloured Derby Planché
period chinoiserie group, 1750-52 emblematic of Sight,
according to recent research attributed to Agostino Carlini.
This is one of the most beautiful porcelain models ever made.
Chelsea is represented by a pair of gold anchor marked chinoiserie figures, but there are a number of Chelsea, Bow and
Derby figures and groups. Among the Bow is a particularly fine
pair of figures of hawks. There are also Chelsea, Bow and
Derby dishes and tureens in the form of leaves, flowers and
fruits. Of early 19th century origin are a series of plaques,
mainly Derby, painted with fruit and flowers.
As I mentioned at the beginning, put all together the
National Trust has a collection of ceramics which would rival
most international museums. Some collections, which are on
view but still belong to the families of the donors, such as
Anthony House in South east Cornwall, have not been mentioned. Others, like Waddesdon which has a world-class collection of Sèvres, have few pieces of English ceramics and
therefore have also been left out. Many of these 84 houses
will have a few pieces, and I apologise if in this short article I
have omitted the favourite example of one of my readers.
ICF&S-2009 25
The Tracy Mug: Porcelain, Iconography
and City Politics in Dr Wall’s Worcester
Richard Burt
Introduction
One of the most intriguing exhibits in the 18th century gallery
of the Museum of Worcester Porcelain is the so-called Tracy
Mug, commemorating the famous election victory by Robert
Tracy in the city of Worcester in 1747/48, shortly before the
opening of the Worcester Porcelain works in 1751. Tradition
has it that the curious design and painting on the mug are the
handiwork of Dr John Wall, a leading figure amongst the fifteen partners who set up the firm.
A close analysis of the wide ranging–if not always satisfactory
– available evidence connected with the mug provides a fascinating key hole through which we can examine the world
into which Worcester porcelain was born two hundred and
fifty years ago. This article will seek to:
i) Explain the origins and iconography of one of the earliest political commemoratives on English porcelain
ii) Show the interplay between artefacts, local newspapers, prints, poll books, architecture and the contemporary political scene
iii) Examine the way in which porcelain found a role
alongside other material possessions in not only reflecting the taste of their owners but also their political allegiances
Inevitably, restrictions upon space will limit my ability to
deal with the broader context of mid-eighteenth century
Worcester, which I examined in my lecture at the
International Ceramics Fair in 2005 and which was published
in the 2006 catalogue, and therefore I have endeavoured as
far as possible to avoid repeating material which is to be
found there
26 ICF&S-2009
The Tracy Mug
In 1930 H E Rhodes gave a full description of the Tracy Mug
in a paper delivered to the English Porcelain Circle and subsequently printed in the Transactions of that body in the following year. 1
“It is of the cylindrical type, with spreading base, and
square-cut, grooved handle. O n the base is an incised
saltire cross, and a cut in the foot-ring. T he paste is white,
and the glaze thin and even. T he front of the mug is
painted with a column surmounted by a coat-of-arms in
colours. Upon the plinth the following inscription is pencilled in black:
“Erected/to commemorate ye gratitude/Freemen of
Worcester owe/Robert Tracy Esqr/who/restored their
Liberty/by defeating/an arbitrar y power/in the year
1747.”
O n one side of the column, pencilled in red, is Hercules
wearing a lion’s skin, crushing A ntaeus in his arms; and in
a scroll above, the word ‘C onquest’. O n the other side is
a lion licking the hand of A ndrocles, and, in a scroll above,
the word ‘G ratitude’.
It occurred to me that the column might have been
taken from a monument to Tracy in Worcester, but
enquir y showed that this assumption was groundless”.
(Fig. 1)
To this we might add that the execution of the design
described above is naïve and not typical of an experienced
enameller. The brush strokes are scratch - like and differ from
the smoother application of paint to be found on the oriental scenes most typical of “scratch cross” ware (the name
Figure 1. T he two sides of the Tracy Mug
given to some of the earliest of the output of the factory,
characterised by potters’ nicks or crosses made on the underside of the pieces). The conscientious, if somewhat crude,
attempt at perspective in the chequer board flooring of the
scene involving Androcles also contrasts with the majority of
“scratch cross” scenes where figures, animals, plant and furniture “float “ in space or where landscape is deliberately “flattened” in imitation of Chinese style.
Whilst far from conclusive, comparisons have been made
between the figure painting on the mug and that in Wall’s
rather stiff portrayal of human anatomy in his numerous
engravings and oil paintings of classical and mythological subjects, some of which are also on display in the Museum of
Worcester Porcelain. The engravings of Wall used in Richard
Owen Cambridge’s “The Scribleriad” and Dionysius Longinus
“On the Sublime” show points of comparison and in particular one could draw attention to a figure painted by Wall in a
gouache study of the “The Great Siege of Troy” in the archives
of the Museum of Worcester Porcelain. (Fig. 2) The figure of
Heracles is one of the first examples of a human subject on
Worcester porcelain which does not purport to be an oriental character, even though, as is frequently cited in standard
texts, much of Worcester’s chinoiserie depicts figures with
decidedly European features. Moreover, as will become apparent, the iconography is so specific that it seems unlikely to
have been regular factory output designed for wider sale, a
suggestion strengthened by the fact that it would appear to
be a unique piece, perhaps presented to the victor by the fac-
Figure 2. Detail of
gouache depicting
the G reat Horse of
Troy by Dr Wall
(Museum of
Worcester
Porcelain). C ompare
with the depiction of
A ndrocles
tory. Its scratch cross mark and styling would also tend to confirm the belief that this is one of the earliest documentary
pieces of Worcester porcelain from the 1752-54 period.
Given that Tracy was ousted in less than glorious circumstances in 1754 through failing to stand in the election of that
year, it is likely that the mug was produced no later than this
date. (Tracy did go on to stand in the election of 1761 but
was beaten into third place and was unsuccessful in an
appeal)
More speculatively, the scene involving Androcles perhaps
offers another clue in support of the tradition that Dr Wall
was responsible for the design if not the execution of the
Tracy Mug. It is rather curious that behind the figure of
Androcles stands a brick wall which not only breaks up the
ICF&S-2009 27
Figure 3. A n invitation to join the C onstitution C lub 1745
continuity of the design but also appears rather anachronistic
in the pseudo-classical setting of the scene. If there is a deliberate purpose to the choice of image, and much of what follows is devoted to demonstrating that all such imagery is anything but accidental, then this may well be a punning reference
to Wall, a “hidden signature” by the partner who may have
used his influence in the first days of the factory to have commissioned the presentation piece for his MP shortly after production began. As this article will attempt to reveal, there are
significant social and political connections between Tracy, Dr
Wall and the other original partners of 1751 which can illuminate our understanding not only of the mug but the
motives behind the establishment of the porcelain factory.
At the heart of this thesis lies the Constitution Club, a
body initially created in 1745 to raise subscriptions to provide
troops to defend the country against the invading Jacobites of
the Young Pretender. (Fig. 3) Wall’s father-in-law, Martin
Sandys, was a leading light in the organisation and, in the aftermath of Culloden, he appears to have mobilised his members
to turn their attention to domestic Tory opponents who were
accused of being half-hearted in their support of the
Hanoverian dynasty in its moment of crisis and guilty of corrupting the local body politic through the wholesale conversion of neighbouring Tory gentry into honorary freemen with
the right to vote in city elections prior to the poll of 1747.The
Constitution Club, with its decidedly Whig and Masonic overtones, was to play a vital role in the dissemination of partisan
political iconography through the erection of temporary commemorative structures in the city of Worcester to celebrate
28 ICF&S-2009
Tracy’s victory in 1748 and the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle in
1749. An examination of the poll-books and the Vernon electoral expenses of the period also reveal those future
Worcester partners who can be traced (nine out of fifteen)
show strong signs of being Whig voters or even activists, giving further credence to the notion that the political as well as
commercial ambitions underpinned the establishment of the
factory.
The Election of 1747 and the Tracy Arch 1748
Rhodes, quoting a passage from the London Penny Post of July
13 1747 (discovered by R.W. Binns in his “A Century of
Potting in the City of Worcester”) went on to describe how
Tracy, in a particularly bitter and corrupt contest, had been
narrowly beaten into third place in the borough election of
that year by his Whig running mate Sir Thomas Vernon and
their Tory rival Thomas Geers Winford. (Vernon 1557,
Winford 1074, Tracy 1027) However, on appeal, the returning
officer was deemed to have illegally denied a vote to 72 citizens, Winford was unseated and on February 11 1748 Tracy
installed in his place.
Not surprisingly, the more partisan Whig interest felt outraged by the attempted gerrymandering and doubly jubilant
by their victory. In defiance of a prohibition advertised in the
“Worcester Journal” on June 2 1748 by the mayor and justices, a temporary triumphal arch of lathe and plaster was
raised by the Tracy interest on June 11 to coincide with the
accession day celebrations of George II and provide an appropriate focus for the newly elected MP entering the city in
triumph.
Thus Rhodes’ instinct about the existence of an arch to
celebrate the victory was correct and, as long ago as 1945, an
Figure 4. T he G uild Hall Worcester
illustration of the monument in question was made available
in the 1945 Transactions of the Worcestershire
Archaeological Society by Alex Macdonald. However, as so
often appears to happen, the gulf between the priorities of
collectors and historians intervened to prevent the link
between mug and monument being established. Macdonald
postulates that the architect Thomas White was the designer
of the arch (a speculation that seems reasonable when compared with the pediments on his two more enduring monuments in the city, the Guildhall and Britannia House.)
Collectors of Worcester transfer printed ware will readily
identify the image of Fame blowing a trumpet above the arch
and the ubiquity of this figure in print and on architecture
should serve to remind us of the extensive borrowing of
porcelain design from other media. (Fig. 4)
The illustration of the arch we are told was engraved by
Isaac Taylor who was later forced to leave the city because of
threats made by the supporters of the Tory candidate.
(Whilst there is proof of Taylor’s removal to London from
Worcester, there is, to my knowledge, no confirmation of the
reason given above and there is some question mark against
the dating. Sheila O’Connell of the Prints Department at the
British Museum suggests that, on current evidence, Taylor
would have been only about seventeen in 1747 and probably still serving an apprenticeship. This might explain why
Taylor’s name does not appear in the poll-book of 1747.
Interestingly enough, Taylor was then according to one
source, employed by Edward Cave on the Gentleman’s
Magazine. Cave was one of the original fifteen partners of
Worcester porcelain, promoting the establishment of the facICF&S-2009 29
Figure 5. T he Tracy A rch
tory in 1752 with an announcement about its wares and
showing the famous engraving of the new works. If Taylor really was driven out of Worcester by Tory opponents then his
adoption by Cave is consistent with the thesis advanced by
this article that there is considerable evidence to believe that
the original partners were associated with the Whig cause in
the city.
Interpreting the Arch
Returning to the arch itself Macdonald gave a full description
of much of it but was unable to interpret some of the smaller detail. Most crucially, he misinterpreted the figures topping
the arch, perhaps explaining why it has taken so long for the
two images to be reunited. (Fig. 5)
“In the pediment, set between the inscriptions “Long Live
King G eorge the Second” and “To the Preser ver of our Rights
and Liberties” are the Royal A rms. A bove this are statues rep30 ICF&S-2009
resenting Justice, the rape of Sabrina, and a
lady reclining against a sun-dial. T he niches
contain other allegorical statues above
which are on the left the arms of the Tracy
family and on the right their crest a winged
chapeau. Before the left-hand niche is a
plaque sho w ing three men standing
around an open coffin inscribed
H.F> ob. 11 Feb.
1747 A E 99
“H.F.” presumably means Ho no rar y
Freeman. T he plaque below the right hand
niche shows a gentleman handing scrolls to
two poor men – perhaps conferring honorar y freedoms on them. A t the foot are
two more plaques: on the left a three headed dog chained,
and on the right a figure which I cannot interpret. T he following is a translation of the eloquent Latin inscription at the foot.
‘W hen the civil liberty of the people of Worcester was
lately in jeopardy and likely soon to perish utterly, through
force, fraud, threats, bribes, and lastly by the scandalous enrolment of strangers among the freemen, a public meeting of the
citizens was held and erected this arch of triumph to Robert
Tracy, armiger, the restorer and defender of their civic rights.
For with his help the yoke of ancient tyranny was shaken off,
and the old laws of suffrage and the resolutions of the C ity
C ouncil were at last happily restored’
Quick reference to the Tracy mug will demonstrate
beyond any reasonable doubt that the painter of the mug was
clearly copying an engraving of the figures on the 1748 arch
and the scene on the mug is quite clearly that of Hercules
wrestling with Antaeus. The Numean lion skin on Hercules
and obviously masculine features of the figure to the left
makes it impossible to accept Macdonald’s interpretation of
the scene representing that of the Rape of Sabrina (the goddess of the river Severn). The implausibility of this interpretation is increased by the internal evidence of his own article
which suggests that as part of their dirty tricks in an ugly electoral contest, the local Tories accused Tracy of rape, a slander
which was, to their credit, denounced by both Vernon and
Winford. It would not have been the best form of political triumphalism, which is so specifically recalled in other details of
the arch, to cause citizens of Worcester to recollect this particular accusation levelled against the returning hero! Nor
would it make sense to have atop the arch the very act which
had, according to the Tracy interest, been averted by his
victory.
Closer examination would, however, seem to support
Macdonald’s interpretation of the scene around the coffin
since the date in the caption is that when the election result
was reversed. (Prior to the calendar change of 1752, the
English dating system would have described February 1748 as
1747). What needs further to be discovered is the reference
to the death of Honorary Freemen in their 99th year. If the
dating in the arch is consistent, then it would be reasonable to
assume that if February 1747 is nowadays termed 1748, then
January 1649 (when Charles I was executed) would be
regarded as January 1648 by its designer. This would therefore
place a ninety-nine year interval between the two events. I
have found nothing of note happening within Worcester at
this time affecting the status or election of Freemen but, given
the evident political tensions within the city and the opposition to the project, it would not be unreasonable to suggest
that this arch was designed to be provocative. Highly specula-
tive although it must remain, it could be that an association is
being made between the termination of Stuart tyranny and a
restoration of civil liberty almost a hundred years later. The
corporation is accused of attempting, through its corrupt
practices to undo the work of the Parliamentary cause at
local level in the same way that “Jacobite” Tories were threatening to do at a national level. The potent Stuart iconography
of the corporation’s headquarters, the Guildhall, with its
demonisation of Cromwell and lack of explicit proHanoverian sentiment, does need some explanation given its
construction in the first decade after George I’s succession. An
event in the following year, also gives some cause to believe
that vestigial animosity stretching back to the Civil War period were being played out in a subterranean fashion for much
of the following century and were given sudden intensity by
the Jacobite crisis of 1745 and the election of 1747.
The plaque on the opposite side of the arch when viewed
under a magnifying glass seems to portray a man in a frock
coat approaching a seated female figure with what looks like
a furled banner behind, leaving me to suspect that the figure
is either Britannia or Sabrina demonstrating her gratitude for
her saviour. A naked figure in the corner would seem to represent the poverty and calamity that Tracy’s victory has averted. In other words, it is possible to see that the twin themes
of Conquest and Gratitude on the Tracy Mug may also be
derived from the arch.
There are also aspects of the arch which Macdonald does
not explore. The two figures above these two plaques which
Macdonald does not mention are familiar to collectors of
18th century figurines. To the right, Minerva /Athena –the helmet, shield, breast plate and spear are readily identifiable and
as a “peace loving deity who would only borrow arms when
ICF&S-2009 31
Figure 6. T he Peace Edifice of 1749 (G entleman’s Magazine)
need arose” she was particularly apposite to a city recovering
from an invasion scare and a bitter electoral contest. Rejected
by Paris in favour of Aphrodite, Minerva was associated with
the Greek cause against Troy, which as explained below, is perhaps of importance in the Whig pedigree of the design. She
also aided Hercules in his twelfth and most difficult labour the
capture of Cerberus which establishes the coherence of the
iconography of the arch and proves that this is no random set
of images. Her assistance in helping Perseus slay Medusa
resulted in her acquisition of not only the head of the monster, which thereafter decorated her shield, but also of the
medicinal bile from the dead Gorgon.This conferred upon the
goddess healing powers and the title “Hygieia”; this would
have had particular resonance for Dr Wall and his apothecary
friend William Davis and indeed it is not surprising to discover than one of the Wall’s lost canvases was of the goddess in
32 ICF&S-2009
this guise. Her patronage of the arts and crafts, including pottery, would signify the benefits to the local economy that will
spring from Tracy’s election. There is also convincing documentary evidence to suggest that Worcester was suffering a
trade depression during the period, thus providing the partners with an important motive in establishing the factory. As
a Goddess of Wisdom, Minerva would also represent the triumph of Reason.
To the left is the figure of Juno/Hera bearing a pomegranate for fertility and accompanied by a peacock representing
the stars in the firmament, both of which can just about be
picked out using a magnifying glass. Like Minerva, Juno had
been rejected by Paris and as the protectress of marriage she
also had reason to be offended by Helen’s flight to Troy. She
thus had a double reason for favouring the Greeks in their
conflict with the Trojans and persecuting Paris.
The figure of the three headed dog represents Cerberus,
and the taming of this beast, along with the many headed
hydra, was one of the labours of Hercules set by King
Eurystheus. In much Georgian political propaganda, both
beasts are used in association with Hercules to represent the
defeat of Discord and Distraction. On the opposite side of
the arch, where the image is particularly difficult to see, logic
might suggest that if one follows the parallel themes of
Conquest and Gratitude shown on the Tracy Mug, the barely
discernible seated figure might be Charity comforting the
poor children.
The Constitution Club went on to commission a further
edifice that was constructed on the banks of the Severn in
1749 to accompany a fireworks display in celebration of the
peace of 1749. (Fig. 6) The Gentleman’s Magazine of that year
described and illustrated in considerable detail the curious
structure replete with Hanoverian and Masonic imagery.
At the centre is an image of George II handing an olive
branch to Britannia flanked by his son Fredrick, Prince of
Wales, a leading Freemason and champion of the Patriot
Whig cause, and his daughter-in-law the Princess of Wales.The
presence of an orange tree is a reference to the William III’s
victory over Stuart and Bourbon absolutism in the Glorious
revolution of 1688.The scene, with its chequered floor, evokes
the frontispiece to Anderson’s “Constitutions of the
Freemasons” and the words attributed to Frederick –“I tread
the same steps”- almost certainly reveals the close connection between local Freemasonry and Hanoverian loyalism in
Worcester. The “Gentleman’s Magazine goes on to describe
how, after the firework display, “Martin Sandys, Esq., President
of the Constitution Club, attended by about 200 gentlemen,
went to the Cathedral, and afterwards most of them dined
with him.” It goes on to comment (disparagingly?) that the
mayor was attended by about twenty-five of the corporation.
Even more interestingly (provocatively ?) in view of the Stuart
and anti-Cromwellian iconography of the Worcester Guildhall
(built 1720) is the closing comment “A paper was passed up
reflecting on the fireworks and preparations to observe this
day of thanksgiving, as if they were to celebrate Oliver
Cromwell’s birthday”Those familiar with the original porcelain
company will also not fail to note that Edward Cave, the
London based editor of the Gentleman’s Magazine, was also
to become one of the original 1751 partners. A further connection is that if Isaac Taylor, the supposed engraver of the
1748 arch, did indeed join Cave at the Magazine he may well
have been responsible for the engraving of the 1749 edifice as
a sequel to his earlier endeavour.
I would like to probe a little further into the origins of the
iconography of the mug. The Labours of Hercules were
favourite topics upon ancient Greek red and black vases (and
the wrestling match with Antaeus can be found in numerous
examples). In the context of the election dispute of 1747
there is good reason to believe that the choice of the figure
of Hercules would have had added meaning. The Jacobites
and those Tories sympathetic to the Stuart cause had since
1688 adopted Trojan heroes such as Aeneas to represent
their support for a wandering exiled leader. Inevitably, the
Greeks tended to be the preferred emblems of the Whigs
and Hercules was a particular favourite, one possible reason
being that the hero had, according to legend, at one point
sacked the city of Troy and replaced Laomedon with Priam
when the former failed to reward Hercules for saving the
Trojan princess, Hesione. The Third Lord Shaftesbury, grandson of the founder of the Whig Party, had also chosen
Hercules to illustrate his views on artistic taste and History
painting in his “Characteristics”. Later engravers such as
Hogarth and Paul de Lamerie had also used Hercules to symbolise the choices the contemporary political establishment
faced between Industry and Idleness, Unity and Discord,
Prosperity and Poverty and how only through heroic endeavour would justice triumph. William Shenstone’s poem “The
Judgement of Heracles” (1741) suggests that a specific parallel was made between the hero’s victory over Antaeus and
that of the Country “Patriots” in bringing about the removal
of Walpole from office the following year by “elevating” him to
the House of Lords. The poem also linked Heracles to the
homes of Patriot Whig grandees Lords Cobham and Lyttleton
of Stowe and Hagley Hall respectively, both of whom conveyed a coded political message through apposite classical
statuary in their scenic garden walks. The symbolic use of
ICF&S-2009 33
external space was also mirrored by developments in interior design and in an ever-increasing range of material possessions which would come to include porcelain. Henry Hoare
at Stourhead commissioned a Rysbrack statue of Heracles for
his Pantheon (Fig. 7) and bought a Poussin depiction of “The
Choice of Heracles” in 1747, coincidentally the same year as
the disputed Worcester election. As Michael Charlesworth
has shown2, not only does this emphasize the significance of
Heracles as a political icon in this period but it also reveals an
increasing desire to provide a thematic coherence to the
design of the interior and exterior spaces of the homes of the
political elite. The observant guest at Stourhead would notice
that the choice depicted by the painting was echoed first by
the statue outside and then by a fork in a garden path which
offered the tourist a choice between an easy walk or a more
difficult climb which rewarded those who took it with the
best view of the landscaped gardens.
Similarly, the visitor to Hanbury Hall, home of Sir Thomas
Vernon, who was the other Whig candidate in the 1747 election, is immediately aware of the way Sir James Thornhill’s
staircase murals depicting scenes from the life of Achilles was
given a contemporary political twist by including a demonised
image of a the arch - Tory Dr Sachaverell. It is indicative of
how the classical world was used to illustrate the political
imperatives of the eighteenth century. During the course of
34 ICF&S-2009
Figure 7. Rysbrack’s Statue of Heracles (Stourhead)
Figure 8. T he Hanbur y Heracles
this research, I have also been much struck by the similarity
between Thornhill’s style of figure painting and that adopted
by Wall. It is difficult to believe that in either a medical or a
political capacity Wall did not have at least the opportunity to
admire at first hand the work of the leading British history
painter of the day when it was so close to hand. There is certainly an overlap in the choice of subject matter by the professional artist and the amateur.
Perhaps of even greater relevance for this enquiry, is the
so-called Hercules Dressing Room at Hanbury Hall. (Fig. 8)
Surmounting one of the fireplaces in an upstairs room is a
modern version of an original carving done in a naïve style of
a figure of Hercules (stolen in 1961). Perhaps even more
appropriately for the purposes of this essay, the fireplace was
of the type commonly used for displays of porcelain. The figure is so curious that it is difficult to believe that Hercules did
not have some particular association with the Vernon family
and therefore with the Worcestershire Whig interest. Whilst
the figure of Hercules was a ubiquitous image, there is also
good reason to believe that his victory depicted on the Tracy
mug would have been seen by contemporaries in Worcester
as a specifically “Patriot” Whig icon associated with opposition
to Walpole as well as the Tories.
Although its Whig associations do not appear to have any
straightforward documentary corroboration in the way that
the Hercules motif does, the story of Androcles and the Lion
on the Tracy mug may have specific political and cultural significance, even if it is somewhat speculative. Firstly, although I
have yet to find substantiation, the scene of Androcles removing the thorn from the lion’s paw may well have been used to
depict the removal of Walpole as Heracles and Antaeus was.
Secondly, it is important to remember that the in the context
of 1747/48 the Tracy victory was not just seen as a triumph
over electoral malpractice. Any impartial reading of the events
of the election make it perfectly clear that both parties
engaged in dirty tricks. The crucial issue for the Tracy party
was rather that it had been a victory over Tories suspected of
Jacobite tendencies and that the Church of England had once
again been saved as it had been in 1745 from the tyranny of
Rome. In the Androcles story, both hero and lion are, in a
sense, victims of Rome’s barbarism which seeks to pit the two
in adversarial contest in the amphitheatre. However, as with
the Hercules, Androcles emerges victorious because his
nobler qualities shine through. His earlier courage and kindness towards the injured lion (Androcles is seen removing the
throne from the lion’s paw in the background of the Tracy
mug) proves his salvation. When pitted in the amphitheatre
together, the lion (a figure which, of course, was long associated with English nationhood) demonstrates its gratitude by not
devouring Androcles and thereby thwarting Rome of its
desire to see animal cruelty triumph over human reason and
compassion. This could well be coded language for the victory of “rational Protestantism” over barbaric Catholicism.
With all propaganda there is always a reason behind the
choice of all visual messages and Worcester would lead the
way in the mid eighteenth century with its successful transfer
printed commemorative ware, depicting heroes of the national Protestant cause such as Pitt, Frederick the Great, the
Marquis of Granby etc who had defied the French/
Catholic/Jacobite cause. The wrestling scene would also have
had a particular resonance in the mid 18th century with its
increasingly confident emphasis upon the power of human
reason and ability to develop beyond the constraints of
nature in both a spiritual and a material sense. Hercules was
a son of a god and possessed of god-like powers. He was able
to defeat Antaeus by lifting him off the ground and depriving
him of the strength of his earth mother. The struggle, in other
words, is a metaphor and an inspiration for man’s ability to
make use of his own divine powers derived from his Creator
to master the base clay from which, according to Genesis, he
was made. In an age transformed by an agricultural revolution,
large scale mining, the cutting of a nationwide network of
canals and, at the precise moment of the Tracy election, the
discovery of making soft-paste porcelain, it was easy for men
to believe that they were indeed subduing the earth. For 18th
century Englishmen -and Whigs in particular- it was a belief
about to be reinforced by the defeat of the Jacobites at home
and European and indigenous rulers abroad in the quest for
empire and new markets. The admirer was intended to see
Tracy’s victory not just as the triumph of a Whig over a Tory
but the salvation of a city, acting as a metaphor of the nation
as a whole.
Notes
1
EPC Transactions vol iii, 1931, pp.84-85
2
New Arcadian Journal no.37/38, pp.65-80 “Hercules, Apollo
and the Hermit; Exploring Stourhead”
ICF&S-2009 35
Interior Decoration and War Trophies –
the Porcelain Table Services of
Frederick the Great of Prussia
Dr Samuel Wittwer
Director of Palaces and Collections at the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation
Introduction
In 1740 Frederick the Great inherited the Prussian royal
throne from his father, becoming king of an established, quite
wealthy middle sized country among the states forming the
Holy Roman Empire. Trade and handycraft were welldeveloped, even if they could not be compared with the
economic power of the neighbouring state Saxony. Frederick
had visited Saxony as Crown Prince, and having admired their
porcelain factory, had tried from the beginning of his reign to
introduce one to his Prussian workshops. For years he failed
involving the wrong people.
However, history offered him another opportunity: during
the second Silesian war (1744-45) the Prussian army
occupied Saxony and the king confiscated the Meissen
manufactory's storeroom. Not only hundreds of figures, vases,
garnitures and tea services were packed and sent to Berlin,
but also several complete table services of different sizes and
decoration. Some white, some painted, mainly with flowers,
and one example was decorated with the yellow lion. This
pattern, originally inspired by a Japanese Kakiemon motif, had
been reserved for the Saxon court. None of these services
sent to Potsdam and Berlin can be found today, nor can they
be found in the inventories of the Prussian silver vaults.
Most of these services must have been given away as gifts
as the Royal Court was still using silver or gold for the table.
These metals were still more important than any other
material, symbolising the eternal shining of the sun and moon,
and signifying wealth and treasure. Frederick had inherited
about ten silver and one silver gilt tableservices. In 1741 he
added a solid gold service as a manifestation of his new
position in Europe as victor of the first Silesian war. After the
36 ICF&S-2009
second Silesian war in 1746, he ordered another silver service
which was used for the first time in 1747 for the opening of
The Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam. Most of these silver
services, along with the one in gold were melted down in
1809 to pay the Prussian debt to Napoleon.
When in 1751 the first Prussian porcelain manufactory
was founded in Berlin by a merchant called Caspar Wilhelm
Wegely, the King still didn’t own a complete porcelain table
service to serve the first two courses and dessert. Frederick
disliked Wegelys products and didn’t suppor t the
manufactory by ordering porcelain. In 1756 the third Silesian
war, better known as the Seven Years War, started and Wegely
couldn't escape the economic pressure and had to close his
workshops in 1757. However, during the war, another
merchant, Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky, following the kings’
wishes founded another porcelain manufactory in Berlin in
1761. He was much more successful as Saxony was still
occupied by the Prussian army and he arranged for some
highly specialised workmen from the Meissen manufactory to
come to Berlin. Again, the king didn’t order any table services
from Gotzkowsky although he may have bought some other
wares.
Frederick the Great explored other possibilities staying
several times in Meissen from 1760 to 1762, and as head of
the occupying power in Saxony, he was in fact owner of the
manufactory. A very important factor was that he lived in a
house near the Cathedral and the manufactory and was a
neighbour of Johann Joachim Kaendler, the famous chief
modeller in Meissen. They must have discussed porcelain a lot
and Kaendler loved this situation because the Prussian king
(although it was war-time) commissioned many new models
based on his ideas, giving Kaendler an opportunity to earn
extra money. This is, where the thrilling story of Fredericks’
table services begins.
Frederick as a designer of porcelain
The first comission, handed over to Kaendler in the spring
1760, was a small service to be presented to the kings’ close
friend and art teacher, the philosopher Jean Baptiste de Boyer,
Marquis d'Argens. In a letter from Meissen to Potsdam,
Frederick asked the Marquis, if he would like to have some
porcelain in lieu of his apanage as he lacked funds due to the
ongoing war. Of course the Marquis could not refuse and
answered, he would be very flattered by a dinner service and
that he would love to use it the moment his majesty returned
home having won the war. He promised to invite Frederick to
his house for a philosophical meal.
Frederick, noting these last words, invented his own list of
instructions using some aspects from the Marquis’ book on
sceptizism. First he ordered, that the tureens should have an
inscription. He chose a phrase by Aristotle’s Dubium initium
sapientiae (est) (to doubt is the beginning of wisdom). Then
he added four emblems representing music, architecture,
sovereignty and geography. In the centre is a pair of balanced
scales – all four aspects are of similar importance. These refer
to the king, showing the balance between his passions (music
Figure 1. Part of the first Meissen table ser vice made for and partly
designed by Frederick the G reat model “preussisch-musikalisches
Dessin” (Prussian musical design). Meissen, 1760.
Prussian Palaces and G ardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg
and architecture) and his civil duties. To understand this
interpretation, one has to examine the details and debate
them deeply. It is only through discussion and thinking that
one is able to come to this solution – a process, which is the
main method of the philosophy of scepticism.
Fascinated with this new oppor tunity of designing
tablewares, Frederick combined the virtuosity of forms and
colours with meaningful symbols and iconography and
immediately ordered two porcelain services for his own use.
These services, he knew, could never be melted down when
money was scarce particularly during an expensive war. On
the first two services he kept the idea of emblems, but they
had to be applied by a different technique, not painted, but in
relief: on each plate three cartouches showing raised flowers,
two showing musical instruments and one as an allegory of
war. Not much is known about the first version of the
services, ordered in 1760, which was painted with flowers and
a green mosaic border (Fig. 1). Some years ago an impressive
part of the service appeared at auction from an English
country house, bought by the family in the early 19th century.
ICF&S-2009 37
Figure 2. Part of the second Meissen table ser vice made for
Frederick the G reat, now known as the Moellendorff ser vice
model “preussisch-musikalisches Dessin” (Prussian musial design).
Meissen, 1761.
Prussian Palaces and G ardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg
From this we learn, that only 13 different compositions of
flower bouquets were used and always done in the same
colours and insects, thus proving that the manufactory had
designs even for these quite “boring“ rococo flowers.
The second service from the same model, ordered in
1761, is of much more importance. The records tell us of the
kings ideas. He wanted the service to be made in the same
shape as the Saxon prime minister's service, the famous
38 ICF&S-2009
Count Brühl. Whenever Frederick stayed in Dresden during
the war, he did not take residence in the Dresden Schloss, as
would be normal for the ruler of an occupying power. He
preferred the much more comfortable Palais Brühl. There he
must have seen or even used a service which at that time was
even more famous than the Swan Service, the so called
Brühlsches A llerelei (Brühls this and that). It is easy to see, how
the shape was adopted for Fredericks’ new service. The kings’
second condition of manufacture was that only one colour
should be used together with gold and that this should be
the special red, “which is reserved for the Saxon ruler”. This
of course meant the Red Dragon Service. Both elements,
form and colour, were taken from the services of his Saxon
enemies and added to Fredericks’ own idea of emblems for
music and war in relief, which of course referred to him as
both musician and king (Fig. 2). The design now called
Preussisch-musikalisches Dessin (Prussian musical design, by
using Prussian as an equivalent for war) was developed by
Frederick Elias Meyer, who later moved to the Gotzkowsky
manufactory in Berlin in 1761, together with Peter Reinicke.
The painted design was done by Karl Jakob Klipfel, who
arrived in Berlin in 1763. An interesting aspect is, that this was
the first porcelain service for the Prussian court, which
served as both a dinner and dessert service. Plates with
pierced rims for dessert were first used for the Brühlsche
Service to make a difference between the first two courses
and the dessert.
From a report by chief modeller, Kaendler, we know that
in 1762 the king ordered another service for which he
wanted a completely new design. This was to be called the
Japanese Service and was destined for the Chinese House in
Sanssouci. It is very important to understand the nature of
this building before looking at the service. The Chinese
House is a garden pavillion at the foot of the hill, on which
the kings’ summer house, Sanssouci, was built (from 1745ICF&S-2009 39
Figure 3. V iew of the C hinese House in the G ardens of Sanssouci
at Potsdam built by Johann G ottfrid Büring as summer dining room
for Frederick the G reat, 1754-1757.
Prussian Palaces and G ardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg
1747) (Fig. 3). The style of The Chinese House is inspired by
a famous pavillion in Luneville, at the court of Stanislaus
Leczinsky. It was designed by court architect, Johann Gottfried
Büring and begun in 1754 before the Seven Years War though
its interiors were only finished right after the war in the mid
1760’s. It was a summer dining room, with its own kitchen
close by, surrounded by a chinoiserie rococo garden with
hedges, small rivers, snake walks and huge porcelain vases. At
first sight, it looks like a rococo fantastic garden building with
its gilded limestone figures, columns in the form of palm trees
and a figure on the roof. This is a mixture of the Greek God
Hermes and the Chinese philosopher Confucius. His
european face is more than just a symbol of intellectual union
between Asia and Europe. Hermes got his caduceus stick
40 ICF&S-2009
from Pan, presenting him with a flute. Coincidentally, a very
famous flute player and composer lived nearby. Frederick now
looking down from his Olympus Sanssouci at his alter ego, the
wise philosopher on the roof of the Chinese House. So far
the house can be seen as a reference to Frederick’s wise
government, but on closer examination, many details
contradict this inadequate interpretation. The figure on the
roof has an umbrella, an asian symbol of social dignity, which
he holds in an eastern direction. So the famous ex oriente lux,
the good and wise Confusian light from the far east, is blocked
by the umbrella. Further down, we notice that the foundations
of the building seem to be made of feathers and the Chinese
heads over the windows, resting on cushions like trophies turn
into a monkey band in the interior. The frescoes in the
cuppola mainly depict monkeys and parrots. As we know,
these par ticular animals are great imitators without
understanding.
When the interiors were planned, Frederick and Catherine
the Great of Russia corresponded regarding their enthusiasm
for Chinese things in Europe. Both of them making fun of
people dedicated to the fashion for Chinoiserie without
having been to Asia themselves. In Catherines’ and Fredericks’
letters, these people just imitated, without understanding. The
"amusement" and criticism of Chinoiserie, which influenced
the Chinese House, can also be seen in the design of the table
service made for it.
Frederick gave Kaendler a silver plate as a basis for the
shapes he wanted setting out three conditions. Firstly, he
wanted the service to look antique and muschelicht, which
can be vaguely translated as antique, or old fashioned and
shell-like. This meant a combination of the classical and
Figure 4. Dessert plate from the first “Japanese ser vice” for the
C hinese House at Sanssouci. Meissen, 1763.
Prussian Palaces and G ardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg
rococo, breaking the rules like the decoration in the Chinese
House. Consequently, the service had rococo-scrollwork in
puce and the pierced sections of the dessert plates were in
the old-fashioned Bandelwerk style. (Fig. 4)
The second condition was, that the rim should be painted
with yellow mosaic and the inner part of the rim with blue, so
that, as Fredrick explained the “yellow would be heightened”,
making it more intensive. Yellow was well known as the
ICF&S-2009 41
Figure 5. V iew of the
interior of the
C hinese House with a
dessert table
presenting parts of the
first Japanese ser vice. )
Prussian Palaces and
G ardens Foundation
Berlin-Brandenburg
Chinese Emperors’
colour and it is easy
to understand why
Frederick adopted
this in his theatrical
scenery. (Fig. 5)
Thirdly, he insisted
that Indian (meaning
exotic) animals were painted on all items of the service, since
exotic animals were an important part of Chinoiserie
decoration. However, not all beasts and birds on the service
were painted after existing species, for example the
porcupine. On close inspection, there are fantastic mixtures of
different creatures: a dog-shaped body with rabbit ears and
webbed feet for swimming. At Meissen all animals painted up
to that time were either copies or interpretations of asian
mythological beasts, taken from lacquer and porcelain
paintings, or zoological illustrations, like those on the
Northumberland service. Never before had they had free
compositions in the European style. These animals made fun
of the fashion for having a menagerie with lots of highly exotic
beasts, underlining the purpose of the Chinese House
parodying the fashion for pagodas in gardens of the time.
These animals are definitely exotic and close to carricatures.
The third service, designed by Frederick was devoted to
classical mythology, the so called Vestunen-Ser vice, but little is
known about this.
After this, four large services made of three new styles
partly designed by Frederick, were commissioned between
1760 and 1762 as well as at least six other court services
made of existing models and decorated in a more traditional
style with birds or flowers.
Figure 6. Tureen from a ser vice for Frederick the G reat, now
known as the Schwerin ser vice model “Französische Form” (French
shape). Meissen, ca. 1762.
Prussian Palaces and G ardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg
Changing to KPM
In 1763, after the end of the war, Gotzkowsky went bankrupt.
The king decided to buy his porcelain manufactory in Berlin,
which now became KPM, Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur
(Royal Porcelain Manufactory). Two years later Frederick the
Great introduced a law forbidding the import of luxury goods
from Saxony to Prussia, in order to to protect the sale of his
own wares. Consequently, he could no longer order missing
pieces in Meissen to complete his stock. That is why the very
first tablewares produced in Berlin for the king were just
additional copies of Meissen porcelain. This can be seen in the
context of a service made for him in Meissen in 1761 from a
model called Französische Form (french shape). (Fig. 6) The
Berlin workshop therefore produced completions in 1764,
1766 and around 1780. As the additional items always only
copied the pattern, but with slight variatons of colour shades
and styles, these completions show the developement of
flower painting in Berlin at this time very well. The first copies
cannot be distinguished from the Meissen ones, which is not
ICF&S-2009 43
Figure 7. Platter and cover from Frederick the G reat’s ser vice for
the Palace in Breslau model “mit antiquen Zieraten” (with antique
ornaments). KPM Berlin, 1767.
Prussian Palaces and G ardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg
surprising, because the painters were still those who had
moved two years ago from Meissen to Berlin. The 1780’s
copies look quite different as their flowers, are done very
accurately and academically.
Other models, too, like the pierced dessertplate from the
Brühlsche service, were copied and added to a Meissen
dessert service. Also, the Meissen model used at court in
Potsdam and Berlin for every day services – the so called
ordinar y ser vice, with underglaze blue flowerpainting, was
completely taken over by KPM and still reproduced for the
court or other nobles well into the 19th century.
From 1765, when Frederick ordered the first complete
service in Berlin, until his death in 1786, he had bought a total
of 21 large court dinner and dessert services for all his
44 ICF&S-2009
residences (in addition to his gold and 14 silver services). He
owned more porcelain services than any other ruler in
Europe.
KPM services
When the first Berlin table service was delivered to the king
in 1765, he started to give away his Meissen ones as much
coveted gifts to friends and important personages (e.g. the
second service from the Prussian Musical Design painted in
iron red was presented to General Möllendorff). All Meissen
services were replaced. This was not only a question of taste
or fashion, but much more than a question of economics.
These orders, which Frederick (not like the Saxon rulers)
always paid for (2,000,000 Taler during his reign), were an
important financial support for the manufactory. It was also a
perfect advertising tool. The first service, made in 1765 and
today known as the 1. Potsdam Ser vice, was destined to be
used in the Neues Palais, built right after the war. Its interiors
are what we now call the climax of Friderician rococo interior
and famous artists like the Hoppenhaupt brothers did the
designs.
The service modelled by Frederick Elias Meyer follows this
style. Bundles of waving rocailles flow from the rim to the
centre of the plates, like they did above the table on the
plaster ceilings of the palace. The decoration is dominated by
light brown mosaic spandrels and rich gilding. Ribbons of
flowers hang on this lattice work like real blossom in the
gardens outside the castle climbing the trellise. The moving
elegance and festive brightness of this service belongs without
any doubt, to the most wonderful German rococo porcelain
services. It demonstrated to Europe that after a hard and
exhausting war, Prussia was still blossoming.
Two years later, the king ordered a second version of the
very same model for dinner and dessert, but with more
colours: the green and naturalistic colours replaced the gold.
It was delivered to the New Palace, and was used for less
official occasions or for eating in the garden. The king liked it
so much, that he ordered a copy to present to his brother in
law, the Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach. When it became
out of fashion, king Frederick Wilhelm II presented the 2.
Potsdam Ser vice in 1796 to the Prussian governor in Warsaw.
Simpler decorated versions of this model were ordered
too, e.g. for the Berlin Schloss. The manufactory then
repeated an ornamental gold border, that was taken from a
Meissen service.
In 1767 the Berlin manufactory introduced a new model,
called With A ntique Ornaments. Nowadays, it does not look
very antique, but it can be understood, when we remember,
that Frederick didn’t take up the new neoclassical style that
was appearing everywhere in Europe. Here the artists mixed
at least some antique elements among the rococo-forms
where the rim is done in the form of a bundle of sticks
Liktoren-Bündel
The king had three services from this model: in 1767 the
first version with blue mosaic was done for the palace in
Breslau/Silesia. (Fig. 7) The dining room there was devoted to
the goddess Flora giving the theme for the service. Large, light
flowers sparkling with nuances of colour and shade
dominating the decoration. The centrepiece is a figure of Flora
with putti. Again, we find a direct relationship between the
decoration of the service and the room it was made for. This
could not have happened, if the architects, or the king himself
, hadn’t given detailed instructions to the manufactory.
A second version from the same model, was delivered to
the king in 1768. The red mosaic border and slightly different
style of flower painting varies, but we do not know which
palace it was made for.
The third variation, finished in 1770, was made for the
Potsdam City Palace (demolished in 1958) with border
sections painted in bright yellow. The flower painting now
seems somehow to be harsher. The shades are no longer
done in different colours, but in the same tone, and the
contours are graphic . The dessert plate shows a fully pierced
border and the gold sections look more like gilded furniture
mounts than porcelain. The idea of the basket-like looking
dessert plate was copied from the Meissen service of French
shape which Frederick had bought eight years previously. This
service was used in a very famous room, the Bronze Hall. All
ornaments on the walls were not made of gilded wood or
plaster but of gilded bronze and attached to the boiserie,
exactly like mounts on a piece of furniture. The impression
was sharper than similar decorations cut in plaster and might
be the reason why the painting and shaping of this service is
so harsh looking without any gentle areas of shading.
Much more important than these services and even better
connected with its room was the KPM version of the
Japanese Ser vice which replaced the same named Meissen
ICF&S-2009 45
Figure 8. Dessert plate from the second “Japanese ser vice” for the
C hinese House at Sanssouci model “Koenigsglatt”
KPM Berlin, 1769.
Prussian Palaces and G ardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg
ensemble in the Chinese House in 1769. We do not know
exactly why this happened but it was at the time that a good
friend of the king, who had served for a long time in the
Prussian army and lived close to Sanssouci, left Potsdam.
Lordmarechal Georg Keith went back to his ancestoral home
in Scotland. He and Frederick had often had dinner in the
Chinese House and probably the table service, they had had
so much fun using, now served as a goodbye present. All
known items from this service, which appeared within the last
few decades, have been offered on the British market. The
decoration of the second, Berlin service had nothing to do
with the first one: there, as we have seen, the connection to
the room was done on an intellectual level, now it was the
aesthetic aspect which dominated. (Fig. 8) The pieces show
painted chinoiserie groups, taken from prints by Watteau
and Huquier but mainly Boucher. These elegant figures and
the three dimensional figure on the centre-piece, are
stylistically close to the paintings on the ceiling and the
gilded limestone sculptures around the Chinese House. The
model of the dinner service was called Neuglatt, and the
model for dessert had an additional rim, looking like a flower
chain. This motif was taken from a Meissen model, namely
the Vestunen-Service, which Frederick had designed himself.
That’s why the Berlin manufactory named the model
Kö nigsglatt or Neuglatt w ith Kings Bo rder. The same chainlike element can be seen painted on the roof of the Chinese
House, so that the aesthetic connections between
Fredericks’ table services and their rooms were again
highlighted. Looking at these details we can easily appreciate
the kings’ passion for porcelain services and how his direct
influence on their colourful decoration created an overall
artistic concept.
Even if the taste and style during those 21 years of KPM
service production for Frederick the Great changed a little bit
and the decorations were more and more reduced in colour
or even executed en camaïeu, the tight aesthetic relationship
between shape, theme and the colours of services and rooms
they were destined for, continued. A good example from the
late services, the so called mythological service, is one with
brilliantly painted mythological scenes, delivered in 1783 and
ordered for use in the Neue Kammern (New Chambers), an
orangerie opposite Sanssouci palace, which was turned into a
guest-house with banqueting halls in the 1770’s. One of the
main halls was decorated with gilded reliefs by John Davis and
John Lorenz Räntz, depicting love stories from the
metamarphoses by Ovid. The manufactury used prints
illustrating Ovid as well, copying them in only one colour, iron
red. This warm tone somehow mirrors the gilded reliefs, so
that people sitting at table were surrounded by stories from
antiquity wherever they looked.
One year before his death, Frederick ordered a service
which was only finished and delivered after he died. It had an
underglaze blue ribbon on the rim and gold laurel woven
around it. This decoration is no longer a genuine Prussian
style, only the flower painting is typical of this period in Berlin.
The design takes elements from French porcelain, but
elements, that were fashionable almost 15 to 20 years earlier.
The glorious period of German rococo was now definitely
over, and the king, whose taste had not only furnished almost
12 palaces and appartments and influenced some 25
porcelain services, was tired after 46 years of reign. What he
left to the world is more than just famous buildings and
gardens, splendid ar t collections or delicate aesthetic
programs: it was his Friderician Rococo style. All we need to
study this empire of taste is a couple of dinner plates. What a
compliment to the great art of porcelain!
ICF&S-2009 47
The Exhibitors
The Exhibitors
AD antiques • A14 • PO Box 51, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire GL55 6UQ, UK
Tel: +44 (0)7811 783518 or +44 (0)7976 919836 www.adantiques.com email: [email protected]
Elfriede Langeloh • A2 • Am Michelsgrund 14, 69469 Weinheim, Germany
Tel: +49 62 01 67 335 Mobile: +49 171 8653507 Fax: +49 62 01 18 28 62
www.elfriede-langeloh.de email: [email protected]
A D antiques was formed in 1997 by A lison Davey after collecting British A rt Pottery for many years. In 2003 she
was joined by G eorge Kingham and between them they have over 30 years experience of dealing. T hey are
specialists in British art pottery encompassing the arts and crafts, art nouveau and art deco movements. G eorge
and A lison are recognised as experts in their field; their experience is regularly drawn upon to advise major
auction houses, private collectors, and they frequently vet at the country’s leading antique fairs. In addition to
being BA DA members, they have also worked with museum curators and contribute to journals. T hey host two
selling exhibitions each year with corresponding catalogues
Antiques & Porcelain • A12 • By Appointment: Jürgen Kastl. Naglergasse 27, 1010 Vienna, Austria
Tel: +43 (0)1 5811062 Fax: +43 (0)1 5811062-10 www.kunstschaetze.at email: [email protected]
A ntiques & Porcelain is an internationally oriented firm with a shop that was opened about two years ago in
V ienna’s city centre at Naglergasse 27. Specialising in porcelain, the core of the business is Meissen porcelain from
the Höroldt period (1720–1765), complemented by selected 18th century items from the two manufactories
Meissen and V ienna. T he range extends to include particularly fine pieces of Meissen and V ienna porcelain from
the golden years between 1800 and 1830 and select items by the V iennese ceramicist Michael Powolny
(1871–1954). T heir stock is rounded out with a selection of silver objects. A good impression of the range of
objects they have on offer can be obtained by referring to their website www.kunstschaetze.at, which is updated
regularly.
Bazaart • A3 • 51 Ledbury Road, London W11 2AA, UK
Tel & Fax: +44 (0)20 7229 6153 www.bazaart.co.uk email: [email protected]
London dealer Justin Raccanello is one of the world’s leading dealers in rare, early Italian maiolica. His stock ranges
over Italian ceramics from the 15th century to contemporary, examples of which are all on view at the fair.
Dragesco–Cramoisan • A1 • 13 rue de Beaune, 75007 Paris, France
Tel: +33 (0)1 42 61 18 20 Fax: +33 (0)3 21 73 77 97 email: [email protected]
Paris-based dealers Bernard Dragesco and Didier C ramoisan specialise in museum quality French porcelain and
European glass. A s an art historian, Bernard Dragesco lectures regularly on the C ontinent, in England and in the
United States. His research achievements include the identification of the elusive English “G irl In a Swing”
porcelain factory as that of C harles G ouyn in St. James’s, London. He also discovered that the fabled Sèvres
“crescent” bird painter was in fact Louis-Denis A rmand l’aîné. In 2007, the French Minister for C ulture promoted
Bernard Dragesco to the rank of O fficer in the O rder of A rts and Letters.
Brian Haughton Gallery • A15 • 15 Duke Street, St James’s, London SW1Y 6DB, UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7389 6550 Fax: +44 (0)20 7389 6556 www.haughton.com email: [email protected]
Brian Haughton started as a ceramics dealer in 1965, going on to found The International Ceramics Fair & Seminar
in London, as well as four fairs in New Y ork (The International Art + Design Fair, The International Fine Art &
Antique Dealers Show, The International Asian Art Fair and The International Fine Art Fair) and the latest venture,
Art Antiques Design Dubai, launched in February 2008. He specialises in the finest 18th and 19th century English
and C ontinental porcelain and pottery and contributes to some of the world’s leading private collections. He also
supplies museums. C atalogues are published annually.
Daniela Kumpf Kunsthandel • A6 • By appointment only. Parkstrasse 33, 65189 Wiesbaden, Germany
Tel: +49 611 528 357 Mobile: +49 172 611 4884 Fax: +49 611 333 365 email: [email protected]
“T he excitement of grasping a wonderful pot”: Daniela Kumpf decided 35 years ago to make a profession from a
passion. A lthough her special interest remains the rare and lesser- known small G erman porcelain manufactories
she nevertheless maintains her passion for Meissen and the other G erman and A ustrian greats. Leading a
“ceramic-ly” joyful and peripatetic life she has advised and sold to museums and private collectors the world
over.
48
Elfriede Langeloh, founded in 1919, is now in its third generation run by Friedel Kirsch. From the outset the
business has specialised in the 18th century with the focus on porcelain and faience. T he Langeloh business
was located in C ologne for some 60 years before relocating in the 1980s to its current location in
W einheim, near Heidelberg. V isitors are welcome, but by appointment. T he gallery specialises in important
Meissen porcelain and the creations of smaller manufactures, concentrating on the early production of the
factories. Friedel Kirsch started her career in a modern art gallery and has been in the antique business since
1961. She is a member of the Board of the Deutsche Kunsthändler V erband (DK), co-founder and trustee of
the antique fair Schloss Schetzingen (near Heidelberg) and is on the vetting committees at several G erman
antique fairs.
E. & H. Manners • A8 • 66C Kensington Church Street, London W8 4BY, UK
Tel & Fax: +44 (0)20 7229 5516 www.europeanporcelain.com email: [email protected]
A fter working at C hristies, Errol Manners set up his own business in 1986 dealing in a wide range of 16thearly 19th century European ceramics and specialising in rare 18th century porcelain. He lectures widely and
has been closely involved with the French Porcelain Society; he organised their seminar on Sèvres porcelain
in September 2005. Publications include: T he C eramic Source Book, Q uarto, 1990; Dutch 'Fine Line' and
G erman Schwarzlot Decoration, T ransactions of T he O riental C eramic Society, volume 65, 2000-2001; A
documentary G irl-in-a-Swing Seal and other considerations on the porcelain of C harles G ouyn's factory and
T he English Decoration of O riental Porcelain, Some overlooked groups 1700 -1750. He is programme
adviser to the C eramics C onservation C ourse at W est Dean C ollege.
Christophe Perlès • A7 • 20 rue de Beaune, 75007 Paris, France
Tel & Fax: +33 (0)1 49 26 0324 Mobile: +33 (0)6 07 23 79 38
www.cperles.com email: [email protected]
Since 1987, C hristophe Perlès’s Paris gallery has specialised in C ontinental European ceramics, showing a
selection of faience and porcelain from late 15th to early 19th century. A catalogue is published annually in
June, while more than 150 pieces are permanently on view via the website: www.cperles.com
Potterton Books • A10 • The Old Rectory, Sessay, Nr. Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 3LZ, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1845 501218 Fax: +44 (0)1845 501439 www.pottertonbooks.co.uk
email: [email protected]
Established by C lare Jameson 26 years ago, as international specialist booksellers of new titles and unusual
out of print books from around the world, Potterton Books has also become a leading source for all those
interested in design worldwide, including architecture, design and decoration, the fine and decorative arts.
W ith the increasing interest in the 20th century they have also acquired specialist books in this area.
Robyn Robb • A5 • By appointment. 43 Napier Avenue, London SW6 3PS, UK
Tel and Fax: +44 (0)20 7731 2878 email: [email protected]
In 1982 Robyn Robb joined A lbert A mor and remained there until 1989 when she set up her own business
specialising in the finest 18th C entury English porcelain with a particular emphasis on First Period W orcester.
She has helped to form many major English porcelain collections throughout the world. In 2003 her first
exhibition, which featured rare pieces from A nthony W ood’s superb collection of porcelain decorated in the
atelier of James G iles, was a sell-out. Her 2005 exhibition featured outstanding early W orcester from the first
decade of the factory, included some unrecorded pieces, both polychrome and blue and white, as well as
some extremely rare C helsea. Her 2007 exhibition once again included superb porcelain decorated in the
G iles atelier as well as an unrecorded Bow basket painted by James W elsh and some very rare figures.
49
The Exhibitors
Sampson & Horne Antiques • A16 • 22 Brook’s Mews, London W1K 4DY, UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7409 1799 Fax: +44 (0)20 7409 7717 www.sampsonhorne.com email: [email protected]
Jonathan Horne is a specialist in early English pottery, (medieval pottery, English delftware, tiles, slipware, brown
and white saltglaze, pearlware, coloured glazed and enamelled figures up to circa 1830), his knowledge and
expertise being sought by museums and collectors worldwide. He has written a number of books on the subject
and published various reference works. In A ugust 2006, Jonathan Horne merged with A listair Sampson A ntiques,
the renowned W est End dealers in English pottery, oak, fine country furniture, metalware and needlework. In
conjunction with C hristopher Banks, this created a new business trading under the name of Sampson & Horne.
A t the end of 2008 the business moved to 22 Brook’s Mews, London W 1. In 2005 Jonathan Horne was one of
the founders of the new G uild of A rts Scholars, Dealers and C ollectors which has been set up to bring together
all those involved in the study, custodianship, collection of and trade in the decorative arts and related service.
Adrian Sassoon • A4 • By appointment, 14 Rutland Gate, London SW7 1BB, UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7581 9888 Fax: +44 (0)20 7823 8473 www.adriansassoon.com
email: [email protected]
A drian Sassoon is a major international dealer and authority on important C ontinental porcelain, in particular
Sèvres porcelain, as well as contemporary British Studio ceramics and glass. He is a T rustee of the W allace
C ollection, London. A t the 2001 International C eramics Fair & Seminar he curated the loan exhibition of
V incennes and Sèvres Porcelain. His publications include A Handbook C atalogue of the C ollections of the J. Paul
G etty Museum and C atalogue of V incennes and Sèvres Porcelain in the J. Paul G etty Museum, Malibu, 1991. He
was joined in 2003 by C lare Beck and in 2006 by Kathleen Slater, both formerly of the C rafts C ouncil of England.
T hey have many years of experience exhibiting contemporary British ceramics and glass in the UK and abroad.
T hey also organised the C rafts C ouncil's presentations at T he International C eramics Fair and Seminar in 1998
and 1999.
Steppes Hill Farm Antiques • A11 • Steppes Hill Farm, Stockbury, Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 7RB, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1795 842205 Fax: +44 (0)1795 842493 email: [email protected]
W illiam Buck of Steppes Hill has been dealing in 18th and early 19th century English porcelain for over 40 years.
He has put together many private collections all over the world and given many lectures. He is a long-term
senior member of the British A ntique Dealers A ssociation, having been C ountry V ice President for two years and
South East Regional Representative for over 20 years.
John Whitehead • A17 • By appointment. 37B New Cavendish Street, London W1G 8JR, UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7486 5353 Fax: +44 (0)20 7486 2094
John W hitehead has been a specialist dealer in French 18th century works of art, with an emphasis on Sèvres
porcelain, for over 20 years. A s a scholar, he is best known for T he French Interior in the Eighteenth C entury
(1992). He has also produced articles on, among others, the marchands-merciers of 18th century Paris, the
porcelain collections of the G rand Dauphin, the porcelain collection of the Regent, W illiam Beckford’s lacquer,
Japanese lacquer and French furniture, and a variety of Sèvres-related subjects.
50
Floorplan
A14
A D antiques
A15
Brian Haughton
Gallery
A12
A11
Antiques & Steppes Hill
Porcelain Farm Antiques
A4
Adrian Sassoon
A3
Bazaart
A2
Elfriede
Langeloh
LECTURE
ROOM
A10
Potterton
Books
A16
Sampson
&
Horne
Antiques
A5
Robyn
Robb
A6
Daniella
Kumpf
A17
John
Whitehead
HOTEL ENTRANCE
Piccadilly
Kunsthandel
A7
Christophe
Perls
A D ANTIQUES
A14
ANTIQUES & PORCELAIN
A12
BAZAART
A3
DRAGESCO-CRAMOISAN
A1
BRIAN HAUGHTON GALLERY
A1
DragescoCramoisan
A8
E & H Manners
A15
DANIELLA KUMPF KUNSTHANDEL
A6
ELFRIEDE LANGELOH
A2
E & H MANNERS
A8
CHRISTOPE PERLÈS
A7
POTTERTON BOOKS
ROBYN ROBB
SAMPSON & HORNE ANTIQUES
ADRIAN SASSOON
A10
A5
A16
A4
STEPPES HILL FARM ANTIQUES
A11
JOHN WHITEHEAD
A17
51
Exhibitors
52
53
A D antiques – A14
PO Box 51, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire GL55 6UQ, UK
Telephone +44 (0)7811 783518 or +44 (0)7976 919836
www.adantiques.com email: [email protected]
Martin Brothers
Stoneware To bacco Jar
Modelled as an owl with
a removable head
Height: 11½ inches
(29.2 cm)
1885
William de Morgan Plate in Persian Palate
decorated with a G alleo n o n C ho ppy Water s
Decorated and monogrammed by Charles Passenger
Diameter: 7½ inches (19 cm)
Circa 1888–1897
54
55
Antiques & Porcelain – A12
By Appointment: Jürgen Kastl
Naglergasse 27, 1010 Vienna, Austria
Telephone 0043 (0)1 5811062 Fax 0043 (0) 15811062-10
www.kunstschaetze.at email: [email protected]
Teapot
Meissen
Circa 1723-24
K.P.M mark
Decorated by Johann Gregörius Höroldt (1696–1775)
Polychrome overglaze colours, Boettger luster, gold
Height: 7½ inches (19.5 cm)
Nodding Pagod
Meissen
Circa 1765-70
Crossed swords in underglaze blue
Model: Attributed to
Johann Joachim Kändler
(1706–1775)
Polychrome overglaze colours, gold
Height: 12 inches (30.48cm)
Width: 12½ inches (31.75cm)
Around 1760, all Europe experienced a second late flowering of the fashion for things Chinese.
At this time, Friedrich II of Prussia ordered ten pagods with nodding heads
Literature:
For similar examples see C hina und Euro pa: Chinaverständnis und C hinamo de im 17 und 18
Jahrhundert; catalogue of an exhibition in Castle Charlottenburg in Berlin (Berlin, 1973), 323 f.
Rainer Rückert, Meissner Po rzellan: 1710-1810; catalogue of an exhibition in Bavarian National
Museum Munich (Munich 1966), 251, fig 1027
56
57
Bazaart – A3
51 Ledbury Road, London W11 2AA, UK
Telephone & Fax +44 (0)20 7229 6153
www.bazaart.co.uk
email: [email protected]
Philo so phy, A r t, Science and Vir tue
Allegorical group
Porcelain
Franchini factory, Este. 1778–1785
Height: 9 inches (23 cm)
Literature:
There is a similar group in the Victoria
and Albert Museum, illustrated in L’A r te
della Po rcellana in Italia, by Alessandra
Mottola Molfino, 1976 #336
Pharmacy jar decorated
a quar tier i
Featuring the bust of a
classical philosopher
above the inscription
ZUC VIO LATO , a sweet
made from violets.
Faenza
Circa 1550
114⁄5 inches (30 cm)
58
59
Dragesco – Cramoisan – A1
13 rue de Beaune, 75007 Paris, France
Telephone +33 (0)1 42 61 18 20 Fax +33 (0)3 21 73 77 97
email: [email protected]
Exceptional large Saint-Cloud soft-paste polychrome bottle cooler
decorated in the famille ver te style.
The reverse painted with a Chinese waterside landscape.
The decoration entirely heightened in gilding.
Circa 1720–1730
Height: 6¾ inches (17.2 cm).
Very important unrecorded pair of large
white glazed Saint-Cloud soft-past eagles.
Circa 1720-1730
Height: 9½ and 9 3⁄16 inches
(24.2 and 23.3 cm)
Illustrious provenance extending to eight major collections since 1891
60
61
Brian Haughton Gallery – A15
15 Duke Street, St James’s, London SW1Y 6DB, UK
Telephone +44 (020 7389 6550 Fax +44 (0)020 7389 6556
www.haughton.com email: [email protected]
A very rare and highly
important Meissen
Water Jug and Cover,
painted by B.G. Haüer,
with a scene after
Rugendas, showing a
battle scene, and a
scene of campaign life,
the cover with
soldiers playing cards.
Circa 1740
Height: 7¼ inches
(18.5 cm)
Marks: dreher’s marks
in gold, crossed
swords mark in
underglaze blue to the
base and former’s
mark of impressed YY
to the inside of the
footrim.
An Important Pair of Chelsea Partridge Tureens and Covers together with their Stand.
Circa 1755
Length of tureen: 5½ inches (14 cm) Length of Stand: 11¾ inches (30 cm)
Marks: red anchor marks and numerals to the inside of each bird.
Literature:
For a signed example
of the work of
Bonaventura Gottlieb
Haüer, see the
Mocenigo-Cornaro
Service (Marks
Collection, Chicago)
exhibited at The Bard
Graduate Center,
New York, 2007 and
listed in Maureen
Cassidy-Geiger,
Fragile Diplo macy,
Meissen Po rcelain fo r
Euro pean C o ur ts
c . 1710-63 p.226,
fig 10-36
Provenance:
The Paul and Helga Riley Collection
Literature:
See Chelsea Sale Catalogue of 1755, second day’s sale, Tuesday March 11th, lot 75.
‘Tw o ver y fine Par tr idges and a dish fo r ditto , finely o rnamented’ and the following lot. 76. ‘Tw o ditto ’
62
63
Brian Haughton Gallery – A15
15 Duke Street, St James’s, London SW1Y 6DB, UK
Telephone +44 (020 7389 6550 Fax +44 (0)020 7389 6556
www.haughton.com email: [email protected]
An extremely fine early Worcester Baluster Shaped Mug, beautifully painted in tones of underglaze blue with a
previously unrecorded pattern mixing both the ‘Cormorant’ pattern and the ‘Zig Zag Fence’ pattern together.
Circa 1754
Height: 6 inches (15 cm)
Marks: three workman’s marks in underglaze blue to the handle and
an incised cross and line to the underside of the base.
Provenance:
The Paul and Helga Riley Collection
64
An extremely rare Vienna Du Paquier Teabowl and Saucer, decorated in schwarzlo t with gilt
highlights, with superb and exotic full battle scenes after Rugendas, the teabowl showing on one
side a cavalry skirmish with one man killed by sword and pistol, the other side showing an
elaborate siege with great guns in the foreground levelled at a fortified castle, the interior of the
bowl with a military trophy, the saucer with a full battle scene at close quarters showing a
lancer and cuirassier, a cavalry officer with drawn sword and a fallen horse in the foreground.
Circa 1730.
No Marks
Provenance: Continental Private Collection.
65
Daniela Kumpf Kunsthandel – A6
By Appointment only. Parkstrasse 33, 65189 Wiesbaden, Germany
Telephone +49 611 528 357 Mobile +49 172 611 4884 Fax +49 611 333 365
email: [email protected]
Nymphenburg
Putto as Ovidian God Mercury
Franz Anton Bustelli (1723-1763)
1755-1760
Height: 4 inches (10.3 cm)
Literature:
Alfred Ziffer, Nymphenburger Po rzellan
Bäuml C o llectio n
pages 23-33
KPM Berlin
Krater vase
Biscuit Porcelain
1847-1849
Height: 15 3⁄5 inches (39.8 cm)
Depth: 10½ inches (26.8 cm)
Literature:
Unrecorded KPM Berlin
biscuit vase, after a model
published in Paris in 1766,
C o llectio n o f Etruscan,
G reek and Ro man A ntiquities
fro m the C abinet o f The
Ho no rable W illiam Hamilto n
(1730-1803).
66
67
Elfriede Langeloh – A2
Am Michelsgrund 14, 69469 Weinheim/Bergstrasse, Germany
Telephone +49 62 01 67 335 Mobile +49 171 8653507 Fax +49 62 01 18 28 62
www.elfriede-langeloh.de email: [email protected]
Johann Joachim Kaendler
Pulcinella o f the Italian C o mmedia dell’ar te
Meissen 1748, form number 941
Height: 7 1⁄5 inches (18.5 cm), without the
ormolu mounted base 6 1⁄3 inches (16 cm)
Meissen
The first plate with the Swan relief – moulded as the specimen piece for the Swan Service
1737 (between May and November)
The emblem shows only the arms of Heinrich Count of Brühl before his marriage to
Countess Franziska von Kolowrat-Krakowska in November 1737
Crossed swords in underglaze blue, formers mark J.E. Gund
Diameter: 9 1⁄10 inches (23.2 cm)
Literature:
Published in The Swan Ser vice Dresden 2000, page 28
68
69
E & H Manners – A8
66C Kensington Church Street, London W8 4BY, UK
Telephone and Fax +44 (0)20 7229 5516
www.europeanporcelain.com email: [email protected]
A faceted Wine Glass
Decorated in schwarzlo t
and gold by Ignaz
Preissler
Kronstadt
Circa 1730
Provenance:
Otto Meyer collection
An early Vincennes G o belet C alabre and saucer
1745–48
70
71
Christophe Perlès – A7
20 rue de Beaune, 75007 Paris, France
Telephone and Fax + 33 (0)1 49 26 03 24 Mobile +33 (0) 6 07 23 79 38
www.cperles.com email: [email protected]
Collection of Vincennes porcelain including a plate from the Louis XV Service
72
A Meissen teapot, circa 1723/24
A Vincennes teapot, circa 1750
A Meissen Böttger teapot, circa 1718/20
73
Christophe Perlès – A7
20 rue de Beaune, 75007 Paris, France
Telephone and Fax +33 (0)1 49 26 03 24
Mobile +33 (0) 6 07 23 79 38
www.cperles.com
email: [email protected]
A Naples biscuit figure representing Napoleon
Commissioned by Joachim Murat
around 1808-15
74
75
Potterton Books – A10
The Old Rectory, Sessay, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 3LZ, UK
Telephone +44 (0)1845 501218 Fax +44 (0)1845 501439
www.pottertonbooks.co.uk email: [email protected]
Italian Renaissance C eramics
76
French Po rcelain in the C o llectio n o f Her Majesty the Q ueen
Three volume set
77
Robyn Robb – A5
By appointment, 43 Napier Avenue, London SW6 3PS, UK
Telephone & Fax +44 (0)20 7731 2878
email: [email protected]
This illustration is
plate V from Philip
Miller’s Figures o f the
mo st Beautiful, Useful
and Unco mmo n
Plants described in
the Gardener’s
Dictionary. It is dated
March 1755 and the
artist is named as
G D Ehret. The plant
is described as Acacia
Americana but is now
called Calliandra
Houstonia. The seeds
had recently been
brought to England
from Vera Cruz in
Mexico.
Image co ur tesy o f the
RHS, Lindley Librar y
A fine Chelsea Hans Slo ane plate painted in botanical style with the flowers,
leaves and seed pods of Calliandra Houstonia as well as insects.
Diameter: 8 inches (20.3 cm)
Circa 1755
The decoration on this plate is adapted from the illustration shown opposite from Figures o f Plants by Philip
Miller, Curator of the Chelsea Physic Garden. The illustration is dated March 1755 and the artist is named as G
D Ehret. Georg Dionysius Ehret was a celebrated German botanical artist who produced many exquisite
paintings and drawings. His designs from other publications were also used on Chelsea botanical plates.
78
79
Robyn Robb – A5
By appointment, 43 Napier Avenue, London SW6 3PS, UK
Telephone & Fax +44 (0)20 7731 2878
email: [email protected]
This illustration is
plate IX from
Philip Miller’s
Figures o f the
mo st Beautiful,
Useful and
Unco mmo n Plants
descr ibed in the
G ardener s
Dictio nar y and is
dated April 1755.
Philip Miller says
that the Achillea
was also called the
Common Sweet
Maudlin and had
long been used in
medicine. He said
its seeds had been
sent from the
Levant.
Image co ur tesy o f
the RHS, Lindley
Librar y
A fine Chelsea Hans Slo ane plate painted in botanical style with the
flowers and leaves of the Achillea and adapted from the illustration opposite.
Red Anchor mark
Diameter: 8 inches (20.3 cm)
Circa 1755–56
An article by Patrick Synge-Hutchinson entitled G D Ehret’s Bo tanical Designs o n C helsea Po rcelain
published in The C o nno isseur (October 1958) shows six Chelsea plates with the illustrations from Figures
o f Plants which they have been adapted from. All the illustrated plant’s names start with ‘A’ and Patrick
Synge-Hutchinson realised they were all by the same artist, G D Ehret, even when he was not named.
80
81
Sampson & Horne Antiques – A16
22 Brook’s Mews, London W1K 4DY, UK
Telephone & Fax +44 (0)20 7409 1799 Fax +44 (0)20 7409 7717
www.sampsonhorne.com email: [email protected]
Perhaps Leeds,
Yorkshire
Decorated by
Robinson & Rhodes
Circa 1765
Height: 9¼ inches
(23.25 cm)
Figure of a Turk
Cream-coloured earthenware
Height: 5½ inches (14 cm)
Circa 1775
Probably Staffordshire,
perhaps decorated by
David Rhodes in London
A fine saltglazed stoneware jug richly decorated in low temperature enamels with highlights
in cold gilding. Beneath the spout the portrait of Prince Charles Edward Stuart is flanked by
scenes of a courting couple and on the reverse, classical ruins in a landscape.
82
83
Adrian Sassoon – A4
Contemporary Ceramics and Glass inspired by the Wallace Collection
18th century Vincennes & Sèvres porcelain
By appointment, 14 Rutland Gate, London SW7 1BB, UK
Telephone +44 (0)20 7581 9888 Fax +44 (0)20 7823 8473
www.adriansassoon.com email: [email protected]
A hard-paste Sèvres porcelain écuelle, cover and stand
1775
Kate Malone
Working in her Barcelona studio on pieces inspired by Sèvres in the Wallace Collection, 2009
Literature:
Painted by Louis-Denis Armand l’aîné in the style of Chinese cloisonné enamelling
Gilded by Henry-François Vincent
Kate Malone has studios in London, France and Spain and has become one of Britain’s most
well-known and generous ceramic artists since graduating from the Royal College of Art,
London in 1986. Her work is often bought by collectors of antique porcelain, as well as by
museums and collectors of contemporary art.
84
85
Steppes Hill Farm Antiques – A11
Steppes Hill Farm, Stockbury, Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 7RB, UK
Telephone +44 (0)1795 842205 Fax 01795 842493
email: [email protected]
An extremely rare Bow cylindrical mug
with grooved strap handle printed in iron red with Childrens’ Games including
Blind Man’s Buff, Battledore and Shuttlecock and Whip Top, after Gravelot, within
a painted border consisting a garland of flowers
Circa 1755-56
A very fine Flight Barr and Barr Worcester teacup and saucer
with gilded ear-shaped handle, the crenulated cup, painted on an
apple green ground enclosing four mirror shaped reserves with a
canary yellow background and bouquets of flowers and insects,
gilt cisèllé borders and gilt gadrooned rims
Provenance:
Wittcombe Park, Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Hicks Beech family
86
87
John Whitehead – A17
By appointment, 37B New Cavendish Street, London W1G 8JR, UK
Telephone +44 (0)20 7486 5353 Fax +44 (0)20 7486 2094 Mobile: +44 (0)7736 067041
www.john-whitehead.co.uk email: [email protected]
Sèvres hard-paste biscuit group La Nature
Incised 5
1794
Height 9½ inches (24 cm)
Once the C o nventio n had voted to abolish
slavery in 1794, a number of popular
engravings were produced in celebration.
Boizot turned some of these into biscuit
groups. This one deals with the themes of
equality and fecundity, and also incorporates
symbols of the elements, a serpent for the
earth, water-lillies for water, birds for air,
and smoke for fire.
This appears to be the only known
surviving example.
Print of La Nature
88
89
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90
91
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A rare Doccia group modelled by
Gaspero Bruschi, circa 1755
FINE FURNITURE & DECORATIVE ARTS
SALE, 18 NOVEMBER 2009
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APOLLO
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FIRED BY PASSION
Vienna Baroque Porcelain of Claudius Innocentius du Paquier
A lavishly illustrated, two-volume monograph revealing the extraordinary
creativity of the first Vienna porcelain is to be published by the
Melinda and Paul Sullivan Foundation for the Decorative Arts with
ARNOLDSCHE Art Publishers in September 2009
British and European Ceramics and Glass
Forthcoming Sales 2009
New Bond Street, London
Wednesday 9 September
Fine British Pottery and Porcelain
Wednesday 2 December
Fine European Ceramics
Wednesday 9 December
Fine British Pottery and Porcelain
including Welsh Porcelain
Wednesday 16 December
Fine British and European Glass
and Paperweights
Enquiries
John Sandon
+44 (0) 20 7468 8244
[email protected]
Meredith Chilton Editor-in-Chief
Illustrated:
‘Lady Craveing’s Teapot’
An important English porcelain teapot of
great historical interest, circa 1779-1783
Sold for £22,800 on 8 April 2009
Simon Cottle
+44 (0) 20 7468 8383
[email protected]
Fergus Gambon
+44 (0) 20 7468 8245
[email protected]
Sebastian Kuhn
+44 (0) 20 7468 8384
[email protected]
Bonhams
101 New Bond Street
London W1S 1SR
+44 (0) 20 7447 7447
+44 (0) 20 7447 7400 fax
www.bonhams.com/porcelain
www.bonhams.com
Contributing scholars: Gabriella Balla, Anikó Bezúr, Francesca Casadio, Meredith Chilton,
Katharina Hantschmann, Johann Kräftner, Sebastian Kuhn, Claudia Lehner-Jobst,
Johanna Lessmann, Jan Vilensky, Samuel Wittwer, Ghenete Zelleke
SAVE THESE DATES
Friday, September 25, 2009
Launch of the English edition of
FIRED BY PASSION with a daylong
symposium at The Metropolitan Museum of Art,
New York, in conjunction with a special
exhibition of Du Paquier porcelain
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Launch of the German edition of
FIRED BY PASSION
with a daylong symposium
at the LIECHTENSTEIN MUSEUM,
Vienna
The English Ceramic Circle
LOAN EXHIBITION
SHIPWRECKS AND MARRIAGES
DATED AND DOCUMENTARY CERAMICS
Lowestoft porcelain mug
Creamware teapot
Friday, 19th June to Wednesday, 1st July 2009
Daily 10am–5pm (excluding Saturdays and Sundays)
at
Brian Haughton Gallery
15 Duke Street, St. James’s, London, SW1Y 6DB
(www.haughton.com)
The English Ceramic Circle was formed in 1927 to further the study, knowledge and
appreciation of British ceramics through lectures, publications and exhibitions.
For information on membership or publications please see
www.englishceramiccircle.org.uk
NEW VENUE
FOR
NEXT YEAR
Thursday 10th – Sunday 13th June 2010
The International
Ceramics Fair & Seminar
is moving in 2010 to:
Mall Galleries
17 Carlton House Terrace
London SW1Y 5BD
The fair will take place from Thursday 10th –
Sunday 13th June 2010 at the Mall Galleries,
which are situated on the ceremonial route
between Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square
and are located in John Nash’s elegant 1827
Regency Terrace. The Galleries are easily
accessible by rail, tube, taxi or bus and there is
also a public car park within 50 metres.
a HAUGHTON FAIRSM