DRESDEN PORCELAIN, called by con noisseurs Meissen ware, frequently termed Saxe or vieux Saxe. It was the first hard por celain made in Europe. Johann Friedrich Ma ger, alchemist to Augustus II, king of Saxony, had exhausted his patron's patience by failing to carry out his promise to convert base metals into gold, after loss of much time and money. His life in danger, he was persuaded by von Tschirnhaus, a scholar and able chemist, to turn his efforts toward attempting the production of porcelain. Bottger's attempts were first re warded by the discovery, in 1707, of a process of making a fine red stoneware (termed then Eisenporzellan) that was so hard it took on a polish from friction. Services of this ware pleased the king and court, and it became popu lar later under the name Bottger ware. By 1710 this dark red ware was turned out in table services, vases, candelabra, pipe-bowls, small figures, etc. Some pieces received enamel color, gold and silver decoration. This Bottger ware was soon being made in several localities (Plaue, Bayreuth, etc.).
In 1709 or 1710 Bottger succeeded in getting kaolin, the porcelain clay of the Chinese, from Aue and Colditz. True porcelain pieces were now produced. Bottger's vicious and drunken habits brought about his death in 1719.
Meissen's output from 1707 to 1719 is known by experts as First Period ware. The porcelain was quite plain at first or had simple applied reliefs, all without color decoration, the chem istry and practice of porcelain (grand feu) colors being then unknown. Goldsmith Funcke, of Dresden, had decorated some pieces of the red stoneware in gilt and some gold ornamenta tion was done on the early porcelain, which, otherwise, attempted to reproduce the Chinese white porcelain (blanc de chine).
Characteristics.—Two different clays were• used in making this early porcelain ware. One was called blaue Masse (a blue clay) and the other was a white clay. Hence two kinds of body are found, the blue clay making a white paste and the white clay producing a body of yellow tinge and having little holes and unable to take underglaze blue decoration. Later this trouble was overcome. Some pieces copy the forms of silverware of the period; the court goldsmith, Irminger, designed them. The Chinese styles found on other pieces were taken from examples in the fine collection of Oriental porcelains belonging to Augustus. A mark, the "caduceus wand," no doubt referred to Bottger's alchemistic transformation, but was used later than this period.
Second Period (1719-35).-- Called also "painting period." Dr. Nehmitz, Bottger's fur nace and glaze manager, with von Holzbrink, J. G. Mehlhorn and Steinbrfick straightened out the confused condition Bottger left behind. The king died and, under Augustus III, his suc cessor, Graf Briihl headed a commission to regulate the business and factory. Decoration, paste and glazing were much improved, and, with more scientific firing, much of the great losses from crazing were obviated. Cobalt being discovered in the Saxon mines, Kohler (who later became manager) commenced, un successfully, blue underglaze decoration ; the color "ran" into the glaze and was defective. Johann Gregor Herold, an expert on colors and painting at the Vienna factory, fled to Meissen (about 1719). His all-round knowledge of the technique of porcelain making soon procured him the directorship of the entire factory. On his retirement in 1765 he had given the factory a high reputation for finely painted wares, besides having greatly advanced the potting technique.
Characteristics.— Numerous qualities of body appear . in specimens of this period. It was a period of experiments in clays. Styles were continued from last period, but breakfast services were a specialty. Applied molded decoration was favored. Vases for chimney ornaments were in sets of five and seven. With J. J. Kindler as modeler (from 1731) beautiful sculpture work came into competition with the painted decoration. The clever modeler Kirch ner had long aided with his vases and animals, but now resigned (1733), fearing the prestige Kindler was gaining. Herold trained a staff of color decorators and instituted "team work" like the Chinese, giving over gilding to one man, underglaze blue painting to another, flowers to the next, figures to another, and so on. Decoration now extended to overglaze colors as well as underglaze blue. A yellow ground color was in use by 1725. Starting with imitation of Japanese and Chinese examples, and white reserve panels, etc., Parisian artists were next copied. Elaborate gilt borders and backgrounds of violet, heightened by gold net work, etc., came into vogue; scenes a la Wat teau, and the Dutch sea coast accompanied by rococo scrollwork. A. Bottengruber and Preussler were prominent artists of this time.