Fun Celebrations - Saxon Porcelain Birthday

Schnorr soil, which was mined near Dresden and used to powder wigs, turned out to be an excellent material for the production of dishes The possibility of using white clay in this way was first noticed by the alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger On March 28, 1709, he handed over to the office of Elector Augustus the Strong a recipe for the production of porcelain products Dishes made from burnt kaolin were not inferior in strength and beauty to similar Chinese products In honor of Betgerr's discovery, made by him together with the scientist Ehrenfried Walter von Tschirnhaus, a holiday was established The birthday of Saxon porcelain is celebrated annually on March 28th Manufacturers from the city of Meissen began producing the finest products from baked white clay in 1710 Therefore, another name for Saxon porcelain is Meissener Porzellan Dishes branded with two blue crossed swords quickly gained popularity in Germany, and later throughout Europe and Russia The first products completely copied Chinese porcelain in shape, color and patterns Over time, Meissen dishes acquired an original and recognizable appearance Products from Saxon porcelain were present in the collections of the imperial house of the Romanovs, Peter I and Catherine II in particular, Count Sheremetyev and other nobility The industry owes its development to the names of several ancient families So, at the end of the 19th century German manufacturer Friedrich Kästner decided not to follow in the footsteps of his father, the largest coal industrialist in Saxony, but to take up a new direction of the family business In January 1883, a manufactory was opened with an art workshop for painting porcelain products After 3 years, the staff of the Kaestner Saxonia factory, which produced exquisite coffee and table sets, already included 180 people Craftsmen painted drawings of flowers, landscapes, animals and hunting scenes onto porcelain dishes As a sign of gratitude to his family, which allowed him to do what he loved, Friedrich Costner used the image of mining tools in the stamp First - two crossed mountain axes (Bergbarten), then - a hammer and a chisel on long handles Kaestner Saxonia brand tableware was in demand both in the German Empire and abroad The design of the first Meissen porcelain products corresponded to the Rococo style Fancy curls and patterns were applied to tableware; a special line included products in the form of figurines of marquises, columbines and shepherdesses Fashion trends and changes in tastes could not pass unnoticed for Saxon porcelain Thus, in 1905, the Kaestner Saxonia manufactory began producing tableware in the Art Nouveau style, introducing the technology of Copenhagen underglaze painting, which was the latest fashionable squeak of that era Over hundreds of years of existence, Saxon porcelain has managed to retain its original appearance and Rococo design Dishes, toiletries and writing utensils, vases and other decorative items from white clay mined near Dresden are still created by hand The recipe for each of the 10,000 shades of paint for painting, according to established tradition, remains unchanged and is kept in the strictest confidence The famous Kaestner Saxonia and other porcelain factories were closed as unprofitable in the middle of the last century The Meissen manufactory still produces about 175,000 items - dishes, candlesticks, figurines and other products The company's trademark is applied with cobalt paint under the glaze Meissener Porzellan is a symbol of unrivaled German quality and artistic craftsmanship Therefore, every year on March 28, the Birthday of Saxon porcelain is widely celebrated in Germany