Meissen (Co.)

(German, established 1710)

Meissen is German manufacturer credited with pioneering hard-paste porcelain in Europe. Established by Johann Friedrich Böttger in Meissen, Germany in 1710, the company first began producing red stoneware until a formula for white porcelain was perfected. Beginning in 1722, all Meissen objects were marked with the now-famous crossed swords logo in an effort to set the company’s products apart from forgeries. Modelling their china on the blue and white glazes found in the porcelain of the Ming Dynasty, the Meissen painters created patterns that became known as “onions,” due to their resemblance to the root bulb. The business expanded to include the production of figurines, large-scale animals, watches, and tableware, executed in the rococo style. In the 19th century, under Ernst August Leuteritz, many of the objects were modernized. Though the company produced some objects in the Art Nouveau style in the beginning of the 20th century, its trademark remained revived 18th-century models. Suffering under a series of restrictions on artistic expression during World War II and the subsequent Communist rule, the company returned to its pre-war production values during the late 1960s. Meissen celebrated its tricentennial in 2010. Today, the company’s works are held in the collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, among others.