436 - Meissen tea bowl with colourful flower painting in reserves on iron-red ground, Marcolini period

Meissen tea bowl with colourful flower painting in reserves on iron-red ground, Marcolini period Porcelain, iron-red ground, polychrome painted, gilt-decorated, glazed, small tea bowl (Koppchen) of the Meissen porcelain manufactory, on the base the underglaze blue crossed swords mark with star of the Marcolini period, the lower wall with iron-red ground, above it a band of arched white reserves with flower bouquets of pink peonies, blue forget-me-nots and green foliage, hand-painted, the reserves framed by a gold lace border, around the upper rim a gold dash border, inside a single flower with green leaves, condition commensurate with age, gilt decoration heavily rubbed, ground and base with decoration and glaze flaws, chip to the rim, H. 3.5 cm The Marcolini period of the Meissen manufactory is named after Count Camillo Marcolini (1739–1814), who directed the manufactory from 1774. Characteristic of this period is the crossed swords mark with a star, by which porcelain of the era can be identified. The Koppchen, a handleless drinking bowl of East Asian origin, was the preferred drinking vessel for tea and chocolate in the 18th century.