A Meissen porcelain dinner plate from the dinner service with the iron red mosaic border

A Meissen porcelain dinner plate from the dinner service with the iron red mosaic border

In “Prussian musical design”. Decorated with “indianische blumen” in iron red surrounded by six gilt rimmed cartouches with trophies and musical instruments alternating with flowers in relief. The iron red border with gold scale-pattern décor. Blue crossed swords mark, dreher's number 36, incised marks. With a minor restored rim chip. D 26.3 cm.
C. 1761/62.

In 1760, King Friedrich II ordered a service with “mathematical instruments” from Meissen for Jean-Baptiste Boyer Marquis d´Argens (1703 – 1771). The service was decorated using his own designs and produced in the following year. Meissen referred to this elaborate relief décor as “Prussian musical design”. The “dinner service with red mosaic borders and painted with red 'indianische blumen'” originally comprised 144 dinner plates, 48 soup bowls, numerous dishes and tureens as well as cutlery handles, butter dishes, salt barrels and leaf-shaped bowls (designed as vine leaves and poplar leaves), cloches, candlesticks and centrepieces. A hand drawing by the king himself exists describing the oriental flowers that were to decorate the service along with the note: “With regards to the painted décor, it should be observed that on all of the pieces no other colour is to be used but red, namely the colour preferred by his royal majesty the king of Poland, mixed with gold”. Dessert plates and additional leaf-shaped dishes were added to the service in 1763. Today, we no longer know whether the king used the service, and if so in what capacity. It is only known that he gave it as a gift to his general Wichard von Möllendorff, after whom it is now named, 20 years later in 1781.

Provenance

Collection of Renate and Tono Dreßen.

Literature

Cf. Wittwer, "hat der König von Preußen die schleunige Verferttigung verschiedener Bestellungen ernstlich begehret" Friedrich der Große und das Meißener Porzellan, in: Keramos 208/2010, p. 54 ff. Cf. cat. Triumph der Blauen Schwerter. Meissener Porzellan für Adel und Bürgertum 1710 - 1815, Dresden 2010, no. 294.