Meissen Porcelain Manufactory

The Meissen Porcelain Manufactory has been producing fine porcelain in Saxony, Germany, since 1710, making it the oldest porcelain maker in Europe. It all started with Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, who was obsessed with Chinese porcelain and funded alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger's attempts to discover the formula. Böttger cracked it in 1708, and production began at Albrechtsburg castle in Meissen two years later.

The manufactory's crossed-swords trademark, introduced in 1720, is one of the oldest brands still in use. Its golden age came under chief modeller Johann Joachim Kändler (active 1733–1775), who created the famous Baroque and Rococo figurines that made Meissen a household name among European aristocracy. Kändler's Monkey Orchestra, Commedia dell'arte figures, and the legendary Swan Service (over 1,000 pieces made for Count von Brühl) remain among the most prized porcelain works ever produced.

Meissen figurines capture court life in miniature: shepherds, soldiers, gods, fools, and musicians, all modeled with extraordinary detail. The manufactory survived wars, occupations, and regime changes over three centuries. Today it's still hand-producing porcelain in Meissen, using techniques that have been refined but never fundamentally changed. Works are held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the V&A, and the British Museum.