Meissen porcelain repair

Meissen is a German city located on the banks of the Elbe River. It is a fortress city lined with Gothic cathedrals and an element of great importance that only German cities seem to have. It is also the birthplace of the Meissen Porcelain Works on whose site Albrechtsburg Castle stands.

Chinese porcelain, so prized and coveted by Europeans, became even more valuable during the expansion of trade in 1600-1700. European porcelain makers, who were also experts in porcelain restoration, tried to perfect their own way of making hard-paste porcelain. Porcelain created from white clay and ground glass was known as soft-paste porcelain and was not as valuable as Chinese porcelain, which used white kaolin.

In the early 18th century, Augustus the Strong of Saxony began to seriously appreciate Chinese porcelain and appropriated funds to develop a porcelain industry in Europe. He set up a porcelain factory in Meissen. Several years later, the necessary ingredients for kaolin were discovered and used for the first time at the Meissen factory. And so Meissen porcelain was born. Meissen’s trademark, a pair of swords with blue crosses, is possibly the oldest and most famous porcelain brand in the world.

Restoration of Meissen porcelain requires the skills and knowledge of the trade that have been employed in the creation and design of the original figure. First, the base color, which is almost always white, needs to be matched and recreated. Then the pattern/design needs to be matched and replicated, Meissen pieces are very elaborate and require a lot of patience and attention to detail on the part of the restoration expert. Meissen porcelain is very strong, and unlike many soft-paste porcelains, it can withstand cleaning, bonding, and bonding. However, due to the complexity of its design and pattern, it is recommended that only professional restorers with experience and knowledge of porcelain restoration attempt to repair Meissen porcelain.