841 - Meissen Königliche Porzellanmanufaktur

Meissen Königliche Porzellanmanufaktur Two rare Meissen porcelain obelisks bearing the Brühl coat of arms and chinoiserie motifs Model on a square plinth. The obelisks on spherical bases and surmounted by a cone finial surrounded by four miniature mascarons. Blue crossed swords mark. One tip restored, minor firing cracks. Height approx. 23 cm. Around 1745, model attributed to Johann Gottlieb Ehder. The working records of Johann Gottlieb Ehder from July 1744 contain an entry concerning a "pyramid with a pedestal with panels in clay", which was newly modelled. That such pyramids or obelisks formed part of the furnishings of court tables and the court confectionery is already demonstrated by the first delivery of Meissen figures to the Saxon court confectionery in 1744. This comprised a total of 56 obelisks. An inventory from 1753 recording the porcelain holdings of Count Brühl’s confectionery also lists a larger number of “pyramids” on pedestals. The entries make clear that these decorative elements were not intended as individual pieces, but apparently formed part of a representative ensemble for the ceremonial culture of the court table. Provenance Czech private collection. Literature Cf. Cassidy-Geiger, Von Zucker und Silber zum Porzellan: Die Konditorei und die öffentliche Tafel in Dresden unter August III., in: Keramos 198/2007, p. 32. See also Pietsch (ed.), Schwanenservice. Meissener Porzellan für Heinrich Graf von Brühl, Dresden - Leipzig, 2000, p. 234.