Porcelain

East Asian porcelain, once a rare and highly coveted commodity, was one of the great mysteries of the natural sciences until its reinvention in Saxony by Johann Friedrich Böttger and Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus in 1708. The composition of the white, high-fired, water-impermeable and sometimes translucent body, which was first produced in China, remained unknown in Europe for a long time and was a source of great fascination.

With the founding of the first European porcelain manufactory in Meissen on January 23, 1710, the history of porcelain, which is so widespread in Europe today, took its course. However, the secret of porcelain production could not be kept secret in Meissen for long; the Viennese porcelain manufactory was founded as early as 1718, and in the decades that followed, numerous other manufactories were founded throughout Europe.

 

The MAKK's porcelain collection reflects this development: Meissen porcelain, with its outstanding and extremely rare pieces, forms the focus of the collection, which is complemented by products primarily from German manufactories of the highest quality. 
Of particular importance is the diverse figurative sculpture, which, like most of the other utensils, was created for the refined and luxurious table - in the Rococo period, the aim was to please the eye of guests invited to the table and also to stimulate witty conversation. The collection includes tableware and sculptures of outstanding quality from the 18th century right up to the present day.
The list of famous names reads like an encyclopaedia of porcelain production - from Johann Friedrich Böttger and Johann Gottlieb Kirchner to the gifted Johann Joachim Kaendler, from Franz Anton Bustelli and Johann Peter Melchior to Etienne-Maurice Falconet, Paul Scheurich and Ludwig Gies.