The Porcelain and Faience Collection
The 18th century was the century of porcelain. Among princes and princesses, aristocrats, and the wealthy bourgeoisie, there was a veritable obsession with “white gold”; people spoke of the “maladie de porcelaine.”
Image gallery
Kleine Platte in Fächerform (Detail), Delft, „De Grieksche A“, Samuel van Eenhorn, Fayence
Chinese mit Tschinellen (Detail), Königliche Porzellanmanufaktur Berlin, Friedrich Elias Meyer, um 1768 Porzellan mit Aufglasur- und Goldmalerei
Vase mit chinesischen Figurenszenen, Delft, „Het Moriaenshooft“, Rochus Jacobsz Hoppesteyn, um 1686/90
Schale mit gelbem Tiger und Schachbrettmuster, Detail, Königliche Porzellanmanufaktur Meißen, um 1740
Musizierende Gesellschaft (Detail), Fulda, um 1770, Porzellan
Die Kaffeetrinkerin (Detail), Ludwigsburg, Johann Christian Wilhelm Beyer, Porzellan
Kandelaber, sog. Elefantenleuchter, Detail, Kgl. Porzellanmanufaktur Meißen, Johann Joachim Kaendler, Johann Benjamin Thomae, Porzellan, um 1735
Those who could not afford the exclusive porcelain turned to faience to decorate their tables, consoles, mantelpieces, and dressers.
The exhibition covers various themes:
- How did porcelain make its way from Asia to Europe?
- To what extent do the aristocratic lifestyles of the Rococo period reflect in the art of porcelain and faience?
- What were the distinctive design features, and what were the manufacturing techniques?
The fact that porcelain remains relevant to designers today is illustrated through the theme “Porcelain and 3D Printing.”
The Museum of Decorative Arts is continuously working on re-presenting its holdings in various formats, reflecting the diversity of the collection. The 18th-century European porcelain and faience form a core part of the museum’s collection and are of outstanding quality.
A permanent exhibition of the Museum of Decorative Arts, part of the State Museums of Berlin.
