Sources of inspiration for the decoration of porcelain from the Meissen, Vienna and Berlin factories in the 18th century and the occurrence of floral motifs

Abstract

The homeland of porcelain is China, where pottery began as early as the Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE) and was perfected during the Tang (618–906) and Song (960–1279) dynasties. In Europe, it began a few centuries later, thanks to its import conducted by the Portuguese and the Dutch. These were the items of admiration for collectors and provided inspiration for artists. From the 16th century, efforts were made to create European porcelain. They became successful with the establishment of the Royal Porcelain Manufactory in Meissen in 1710, and later through the multiplicity of factories in Vienna, Berlin, Nymphenburg, Ludwigsburg, or Sėvres. The decorative motifs of the early products were inspired by both Chinese and Japanese porcelain, but more and more often artists tried to develop patterns of their own. The motifs included a variety of floral forms and flowers, for which the herbaria published in the 16th and 17th centuries were found to be useful as sources of inspiration.

The article presents the historical account on the development of industrial porcelain factories in Meissen, Vienna, and Berlin and characterizes the features and types of decorative floral motifs in the embellishment of ceramic products. It talks about the variety of sources of inspiration with the beforementioned patterns and the styles of decor, changing according to artistic trends of the time, as well as discusses the correlations between the beforementioned producers.