Vase (one of a pair) ca. 1720–25 Meissen Manufactory German During the first several decades of operation, the Meissen factory sold undecorated porcelain to independent porcelain painters known as Hausmalers, or literally “painter/s [working] at home.”[1] The factory may have been motivated to make these sales for several reasons; chiefly, they generated revenue and provided a means of disposing of “seconds,” or slightly flawed objects, as well as models no longer deemed fashionable. In turn, the Hausmalers must have anticipated that they could decorate the porcelains in their small, independe

Vase (one of a pair) ca. 1720–25 Meissen Manufactory German During the first several decades of operation, the Meissen factory sold undecorated porcelain to independent porcelain painters known as Hausmalers, or literally “painter/s [working] at home.”[1] The factory may have been motivated to make these sales for several reasons; chiefly, they generated revenue and provided a means of disposing of “seconds,” or slightly flawed objects, as well as models no longer deemed fashionable. In turn, the Hausmalers must have anticipated that they could decorate the porcelains in their small, independent workshops and sell the completed products for lesser sums than those commanded by factory- decorated objects. In general, the Meissen “blanks” painted by Hausmalers exhibit a wide range of individual styles that distinguish them from works decorated at Meissen, which tended to adhere to the factory style promulgated at any given moment. While the work of some Hausmalers can appear less accomplished and sophisticated than the techniques practiced by the painters at Meissen, other Hausmalers were highly skilled porcelain painters who developed distinctive styles that allowed their works to compete with those produced at Meissen. In addition, independent painters could accommodate a client’s wishes in terms of specific decorative schemes more easily than the factory, a function that enhanced the appeal of Hausmalerei, the term used for independently decorated porcelain. In recognition of various threats to the factory’s financial success, in 1722 Meissen ensured that all porcelain sold bore the factory mark consisting of crossed swords painted under the glaze,[2] and only defective white porcelain was made available to independent decorators.[3]The decoration on the two Museum vases is attributed to Ignaz Preissler (German, 1676–1741), one of the most talented and prolific of the Hausmalers. Porcelains decorated by Preissler are usually painted with black en

How we Work

Contribute

Legal

Contact Us