Meissen Porcelain Manufactory
Wärmeglocke

CultureGerman
Titles
  • Wärmeglocke
  • Covered Serving Plate
  • from the "Möllendorff" service
Datec. 1761
PlaceMeissen, Germany
MediumHard-paste porcelain, brass
DimensionsOverall: 7 1/2 × 13 3/4 × 13 3/4 in. (19.1 × 34.9 × 34.9 cm)
Platter, .A: 2 1/4 × 13 3/4 × 13 5/8 in. (5.7 × 34.9 × 34.6 cm)
Lid, .B: 5 1/2 × 11 1/8 in. (14 × 28.2 cm)
Credit LineThe Rienzi Collection, bequest of Caroline Wiess Law
Object number2004.1370.1.A,.B
Not on view

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Department
Rienzi
Object Type
Description

This wärmeglocke (warming bell) is part of a service that was ordered from the Meissen Porcelain Factory by Frederick the Great of Prussia during the Seven Years' War (1757–63). The molded design, comprising delicate flowers, armaments, and musical instruments, is attributed to the Prussian ruler himself. Frederick designed the service with Karl Jacob Christian Klipfel, a German who specialized in mosaic patterns (scalework).


The painted decoration on this service is rendered in iron red enamel, a signature color of the Meissen factory in the 18th century. Each piece in the elaborate service was handmade and hand-painted by the factory workers. The service is thought to have been a gift from Frederick to General Wichard Joachim Heinrich von Möllendorff, a field marshal in the Prussian army.


ProvenanceGeneral Wichard Joachin Heinrich von Möllendorff, c. 1761; by descent Counts Wilamowitz-Mollendorff; [...]; [Christies, New York]; purchased by Caroline Wiess Law, November, 1977; bequeathed to MFAH, 2004.
Exhibition History"English Taste: The Art of Dining in the Eighteenth Century," The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 17 September 2011 - 29 January 2012.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Blue crossed swords on the underside.

Impressed # on the the underside: "36"

Incised on the underside: "11" (?)

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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