1st MEISSEN Symposium

Color samples and patterns in the collections of the Meissen Porcelain Foundation

Color samples and patterns constitute an important and previously unexplored part of the Meissen Porcelain Foundation collections. My presentation will cover several aspects of this multifaceted collection. The earliest samples stem from the beginning of the 19th century and were prepared at the Albrechtsburg, the Meissen Manufactory's first production site. Examples from the late 19^th century include samples of ground colors dating to the 1870s and 1880s, and Rudolf Hentschel’s experiments with solvent-based colorants (Lösungsfarben) from 1898. Samples from the early 20^th century document the breadth and brilliance of the color palette with examples of overglaze colors developed during the tenure of Max Adolf Pfeiffer as Manufactory Director (1918 - 1933). More recent samples include miniature sketches in which landscape and figure painters tested colors and their mixing ratios. Porcelain painters also prepared color samples labeled by numbers or color designations for their decorations during their training. So called “Finger spreads” (Fingeraufstriche) are quality tests from the manufactory's paint production: each new batch of paint is spread on porcelain by finger and test-fired before it is delivered to the painters.

Looking into the Fürstenberg past with X-Rays

The application of scientific analytical methods to questions of authenticity and dating has become well established in the study of historical porcelain, particularly in relation to Meissen wares. This is not yet the case for the so-called “smaller” manufactories such as Fürstenberg. For several years now, the Museum Schloss Fürstenberg and the Freundeskreis Fürstenberger Porzellan e. V., in collaboration with Cranfield University (UK) and Leiden University (NL), have been conducting a project using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis to gain new insights into Fürstenberg porcelain production in the 18th century. This talk will explore the key questions driving the project, the challenges faced by the research team, and the first results that have already been achieved.

Where are all the White Figures?  Later Decorated Meissen Porcelain

In this talk, Dr. Vanessa Sigalas will present new findings from a groundbreaking research project that applied scientific methods—specifically X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy—to a major private collection of Meissen porcelain figures and groups. This large-scale study, the first of its kind, opens a new chapter in the study of porcelain decoration and raises important questions about authenticity, connoisseurship, as well as collecting practices.

Focusing on recent analysis of the Alan Shimmerman Collection, Dr. Sigalas will discuss what technical investigation can reveal about the dating of porcelain decoration, and what these discoveries mean for our understanding of Meissen production in both the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

 

Inquiring the red

In the lecture „inquiring the red“ introduces the Kiel based conceptual artist and sculptor Lena Kaapke her long term exhibition project about the color red in ceramics. For ten years, she has been working on a cycle of works, that inquires the ceramic color red. Various works and installations question different properties, conditions, processes, traditions and applications of the ceramic red and are thereby challenging the conventional definition of color that viewers are familiar with from other media. The works challenge us to rethink this definition for ceramics. When the works are seen together, links emerge, that open a sensual space of color and thought by locating ceramic color spatially, temporally and performatively. The ceramic color becomes the occasion for the artistic work and thus a means of contemporary conceptual art. The exploration of red leaded Lena Kaapke to derive a philosophical notation of the conceptual potential of the color red.

New approaches to the study of (miniature) painting

In 1721, seven porcelain painters were on staff at the Meissen manufactory; by 1735, there were 57 and by the outbreak of the Seven Years War in 1756, there were 219. These artists were for the most part trained in-house, to paint anonymously, in a factory style, in one genre or another. This was a workshop industry akin to those at the court in Dresden, where painters of various skills were paid for canvas paintings; miniature paintings on metal, ivory; watercolor paintings; book illumination; ink paintings; lacquerwork; and gilding - were involved in the design and execution of a work of art. Beyond the fact of kilns, and the alchemy of the industry, porcelain painting required the same sorts of training, expertise, design strategies, and collaboration found in the community of artists and artisans in service to the court in Dresden. Against this background, Maureen Cassidy-Geiger will explore new approaches to the study of (miniature) painting on Meissen porcelain in her presentation.

 

The Influence of firing on ceramic colors

Ceramic colorants or pigments develop different colors depending on the firing protocol. The determining factors are the firing temperature, the holding time and the atmosphere. The effects of these fundamentally important factors will be described.

 

Influencing the influencer: Thoughts about the origins of Höroldt’s technological advances

The impact of Höroldt’s innovations on the techniques of porcelain painting in Germany, Europe, and beyond is well-nigh incontrovertible. But what were the sources that guided Höroldt’s thinking? Only a handful of his pigments were in general use by the potters of his time. Close examination of the text of at least three of his recipes reveal the direct influence of the writings of specific 16th and 17th century alchemists and glass makers. Other procedures, like the precipitation of relatively pure cobalt carbonate for use in overglaze blue enamels appear to have been invented entirely by Höroldt.

Insights into the technological basics of polychrome porcelain decoration

Discover the fascinating world of porcelain decoration! There are numerous ways of coloring porcelain and permanently fixing the colors. However, each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, and many factors influence each other in the technological process. This contribution provides an overview of the various techniques, such as overglaze and underglaze decoration, their quality, optical effects and color palette. It also highlights the technical and technological challenges that arise during production. You will learn about the interrelationships between key determinants and get fascinating insights into the work flow, both at the craftsmanship and technical level.

 

Frankenthal Colors – From Meissen to the Palatinate

The Frankenthal Manufactory, founded by Strasbourg-native Paul Hannong in 1755, was in existence for less that fifty years. The Löwenfinck brothers were already importing Meissen pigments into Alsatia for the faience industry. Continued development, especially after 1775, during the directorship of Simon Feylner. A preserved “arcanum-case” and two color-sample plates illustrate the richness of the Frankenthal enamel colors, which at the beginning of Feylner’s term of office already covered 60 different shades. He developed additional overglaze and underglaze colorants during the 1780s that are still recognized as characteristic of Frankenthal products. Besides the description of the color samples, we will present  examples of colors unique to Frankenthal.