Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 19.djvu/664

Rh 640 POTTERY [PORCELAIN. Marks. Vienna porce lain. Berlin porce lain. able in effect. Perhaps the chief specialty of Dresden porcelain consists in its statuettes and group of figiires, the best of which were made between 1731 and 1756 under the superintendence of a sculptor named Ka ndler. Some of these, especially the Watteau-like shepherds and shep herdesses, have a sort of feeble prettiness ; but most have only little merit, and some are grotesque and wilfully ugly. They are generally decorated with colours and gilding ; the best, however, are in plain glazed white. Elaborate can delabra, clocks, and other objects were largely made, into the designs of which figures in the round, flowers realistic ally modelled, and rococo scroll-work were introduced, generally in a feeble and ungraceful way. For some years after 1774 designs of more classical form, purer in outline and less crowded with clumsy ornament, came into fashion. Since then nothing of any real value has been produced in the Dresden china-works. Of late years, since the increase of prices given for old Dresden, the directors of the manu factory have begun to reproduce their old designs, and even to use some of the worn-out moulds ; the result is that the china thus produced is very blunt and spiritless, quite devoid of merit. The old Dresden porcelain is of a fine paste, and has a good glaze, but its white is of a rather cold tint, occasion ally even having a bluish shade. It is, however, both in quality of material and in design, the best porcelain that Germany has produced. During the early period the monogram &quot;AR&quot; interlaced (for Augustus Rex) marks the pieces made either for the king s use or from his design. Between 1712 and 1715 pieces made for sale were marked with a rudely-sketched snake twining round a stick. Since 1721 two crossed swords have been used as a general mark ; the addition of a dot or star marks special periods (see No. 30). The swords were the arms of the elector of -Saxony as arch-marshal of the em pire. Some pieces have &quot;MPM&quot; for &quot; Meissenen Porzellan Manufactur.&quot; As at Sevres, china from Dresden, if sold undecorated, has the cross-swords mark cancelled by the cut of a wheel. In 1863 the china-works were moved from the fortress of Meissen and established in a new and more convenient building. Vienna Porcelain. In 1720 one of the workmen escaped from the prison-like manufactory of Meissen and brought the secrets of the porcelain clay to Vienna, where he set up kilns and workshops in partnership with a Frenchman named Du Pasquier. They ob tained a special patent, but had little practical success ; and the Vienna porcelain was not made in large quantities till after 1744, when the manufactory was carried on under the patronage of Maria Theresa and the emperor Joseph. In 1785 there were thirty-five kilns in working order, and 500 work-people were employed. Vienna porcelain is not of a pure white, but is greyish in tint ; its paintings are very poor, and it depends for its effect chiefly on gilt-moulded scroll-work in delicate relief. Its manufacture was suspended in 1864 on account of the heavy expense it entailed on the Austrian Government. Berlin porct.lain was first made in 1751 by a potter named Wcgely, who marked his ware with No. 31. It was not, however, a commercial success till Frederick the Great took it in hand. He sent a number of skilled workmen from the Meissen (Dresden) china -works to Berlin, and also ordered the manufactory to be supplied with the kaolinic clay from Aue, of which Meissen hitherto had preserved the monopoly. In quality P tter s mark, the Berlin porcelain comes next to that of Dresden ; No - 31&amp;gt; it is often decorated with a bright rose-pink, the favourite colour of Frederick, which was unknown at the Meissen works. Large quantities of porcelain are still made at Berlin. Other Continental Porcelain of the 18th Century. A very large number of other places in Germany pro duced hard natural porcelain during the 18th century, but none of their work is of any special interest or beauty. It became, in fact, the fashion for every king or reigning Potter s marks. No. 30. Potter s marks. 71 Potter s marks. No. 33. prince to be the patron of a porcelain manufactory. Porce lain was produced at Amsterdam and The Hague; at Brussels, Copenhagen, and Zurich ; and in Russia at St Petersburg and Moscow. In Italy also fine soft porcelain was made, at Doccia as early as 1735, some of which, ornamented in under-glaze blues only, is very decorative and in good taste. Venice produced clever copies of Japanese porcelain, painted with chrysanthemums and other flowers in enamel. The royal manufactory at Capo di Monte, close to Naples, founded in 1736 by Charles III., pro duced a great deal of porce lain decorated in many styles, mostly in very bad taste. The best are Oriental designs painted in blues only. The accompanying marks (No. 32) were used, the fleur-de-lis in 1736, the crowned N after 1759, and the RF after 1780. All the Italian porcelain is of the soft artificial sort. The porcelain -works in the Buen-Retiro gardens at Madrid were also established by Charles III. after he succeeded to the throne of Spain. Much of this (soft) porcelain is classical in form, and is decorated with minia ture paintings in colours or monochrome. Charles III. transferred thirty -two work men and painters from Capo di Monte when he founded the Buen-Retiro manufactory, and hence the productions of the two factories are very similar in style. One of the marks used, the lis, was common to both ; the usual forms on the Buen-Retiro porcelain were those in No. 33. Literature. See Falke, Gcschichtc der Ic. Porzellan- Fabrik in IVien, 1867 ; Graesse, Gcschichte dor GcfdssMldncrci, Porzcllan- Fabrication, &c., 1853; Earner, Die Porzellan- Malerei, &c. , 1870; Kolbe, Geschichte der Porcellanmanufactur zu erlin, 1863; Klemm, Die k. sdcJisisclie Porzellan- und Gcfass-Sammlung, 1833 ; Kriinig, Cyclopedia, s.v. &quot;Porzellan.&quot; English. The early history of English porcelain is rather obscure. John Dwight (see p. 632 above) was apparently the first English manufacturer who took out a patent for the pro duction of transparent porcelain ; but no specimens made by him are now known. Chelsea Porcelain. According to Jewitt (Ceramic ArtChel of Great Britain), John Dwight probably founded the factc porcelain-works at Chelsea, which rank first among English manufactories both in date and importance. In 1745 they were in full activity ; and the popularity in France of English porcelain was one of the causes which led to the establishment of the royal manufactory at Sevres. The owner of the Chelsea works was a Frenchman called Nicholas Spremont, who continued to manufacture fine porcelain till his retirement from business in 1764. This porcelain is very varied in style, as w r as the case with most of the 18th-century makes. Some of it is simply imitated from Eastern china, either in blue and white, or in the old Japanese style, which was then so popular, chiefly painted in rich red and green, with a good deal of gilding. Other pieces, more elaborate and costly, resemble Sevres porcelain, and have miniature paintings on white panels, the rest of the vase being coloured with one uniform tint, such as the French bleu du roi or &quot; rose Pompadour.&quot; One colour, peculiar to Chelsea, is a deep claret-red. Most of the vases have a great deal of gild ing, both applied in patterns on the body of the vase, and also used solidly to decorate the elaborate moulded scroll work which was fixed on the sides of the porcelain. The writhing masses of gold on Chelsea ware are prob ably the most meaningless and stupid attempts at decora-