A Meissen porcelain vase and cover with Augustus Rex mark

A Meissen porcelain vase and cover with Augustus Rex mark

With rare evenly applied sea green ground. Baluster-form vase on a flared foot. The original domed lid with two short firing cracks. Decorated with finely painted Chinoiserie scenes within two shaped oval reserves. A gold lace border around the neck. Unglazed bottom with blue conjoined AR monogram, dreher's mark cross with large terminals (possibly Johann Daniel Rehschuh). Chip to the outer rim, the finial replaced. H 36.7, without lid 27.8 cm.
1726 - 30, the decor attributed to Johann Gegorius Hoeroldt.

Meissen's factory inspector Reinhardt described this evenly powdered turquoise ground as "meergrün", or sea green, in his report of 27th July 1726: "The esteemed mister Hörold has now also developed a fine sea green and various other good enamel colours through his tireless investigation. Several samples have already been shown to the inspector, and with these enamel colours the aforementioned court painter wishes soon to create mantle garnitures, the likes of which have never been seen before, to present to his royal majesty the King for his pleasure.” (from the German in: Boltz, Keramos 148/95, p. 23).
The term Celadon green was also used to describe this colour in the inventory of the Japanese Palace in the same year, this time referring to a slop bowl: “One of the same Celadon colour, no. 105, made ao. 1726” (ibid. p. 13). This entry illustrates the closeness to the similarly glazed Chinese pieces which often inspired the manufactory. The European name of this eastern glaze stems from that of the literary character Céladon, a gentle shepherd who wore a gown in the fashionable colour, from the French novel “D´Astrée” by Honoré d´Urfée, published in 1610. Hoeroldt's sea green colour has more of a blue undertone than the original Asian glaze, but this creates a more harmonious contrast to the warm colour palette of the Chinoiserie scenes.

Provenance

North German collection.

Literature

A vase with indianischen blumen and identical dreher's mark in the Schneider Collection (Rückert, Meissener Porzellan, Munich 1966, no. 278).
On the development of sea green ground cf.: Weber, Meißener Porzellane mit Dekoren nach ostasiatischen Vorbildern, vol. II, Munich 2013, p. 403 ff.
A similarly decorated trumpet-form vase with sea green ground dated 1725 - 30, in the collection of Henry Arnhold (Cassidy-Geiger, London 2008, no. 26).