Early Meissen Porcelain: The Wark Collection from The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens

Telling the story of Meissen from its establishment by Augustus II, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland in 1710, and the early experiments of the alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger in creating the recipe for white hard-paste porcelain, this volume represents the most recent and significant scholarship on the Collection. Scholar Ulrich Pietsch recounts both the fascinating history of the foundation of the Meissen factory, and the surprising story of Wark’s collection and how it survived the war in a Hamburg cellar before being shipped to America.

The volume presents nearly 700 pieces of Meissen porcelain dating from the first half of the 18th century. It features examples by the leading sculptors, painters and patrons of the time including an experimental red urn from 1715 by Johann Friedrich Böttger, and a set of Augustus Rex Vases, decorated by Johann Gregor Höroldt, and dating from about 1728. Also known as the Darmstädter Vases, these represent the only known complete set of miniature vases that form a garniture or mantle decoration.

Each piece is beautifully photographed, and is accompanied by a catalogue entry including, where relevant, comparable objects and details and illustrations of the artists’ mark.