Ingelore Menzhausen

Henschel Verlag, Berlin, 1990. 212 sider. Helshirting med smudsomslag. Særdeles velholdt eksemplar. The history of the Dresden Porzellansammlung began in 1717 when Augustus the Strong , Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, acquired the Holländisches Palais on the banks of the River Elbe, intending to transform it into a Porzellanschloss or porcelain palace. Within two years it had become a brilliant showpiece, filled with Chinese and Japanese porcelain and the first examples from the Meissen manufactory. However, the royal porcelain collector, who, in his own words, could never have enough of these treasures, planned to create a Porzellansschloss of even more fantastic proportions. As the King outlined his ideas for extending the palace- which was later to be renamed the Japanisches Palais-the Meissen manufactory began work immediately on the hundreds of dishes, plates, cups, jugs, vases, bottles, and figures that were required. In 1732 alone, Augustus ordered g 10 animals, birds, vases, tureens, and dishes. Shortly before the buildings and the preparations were completed, however, the King died in Warsaw, and with him his vision of the great Porzellanschloss. Nevertheless, the palace, the plans for its decoration, and above all the porcelain itself have survived the centuries. Today, these survivals form the core of the Zwinger Museum's incomparable Dresden collection. Here more than 20,000 pieces of porcelain are housed, including the 10,000 items that form by far the largest collection of Early Meissen. Represented here, more extensively than ever before, are the most valuable and important pieces of the eighteenth century and the entire range of the Meissen manufactory, from the early Böttger masterpieces to the celadon and Japanese porcelain and the porcelain of Höroldt. Here, too, are the lifelike animal figures; the porcelain busts, statues, and religious groups sculpted by Kirchner and Kandier; the splendid table services; and, finally, the coffee and tea services which exhibit the great variety of styles demanded by eighteenth-century taste. Med stor helsides tilskrivning til Bjørn (Wiinblad). Tysk