THIS and THAT: The Beauty of Porcelain

quarta-feira, 13 de maio de 2015

The Beauty of Porcelain

Meissen Porcelain in Charlottenburg Palace, Berlin

Yesterday at lunch time there was a long conversation about porcelain and its decorative art in different countries.

Although the Portuguese porcelain factory Vista Alegre was mentioned, I couldn´t help thinking of the beautiful pieces I have already admired not only in shops but also in museums.

Christmas wreath with VA porcelain cups

Casa Museu Dr. Anastácio Gonçalves, Lisbon

“Casa-Malhoa” was purchased in 1932 by Dr António Anastácio Gonçalves (1888-1965), a Portuguese eye doctor, to organize his collection in this space, which includes a vast collection of Chinese porcelain.

( Portuguese paintings by Silva Porto are not to be missed, too).

Santos Palace (Embassy of France in Lisbon)

The famous porcelain ceiling with XVI and XVII plates

Charlottenburg Palace (Schloss Charlottenburg) in Berlin

The original palace was commissioned by Sophie Charlotte, the wife of Friedrich I of Prussia as a Summer Palace. When she died in 1705 her husband named the palace and its estate Charlottenburg in her memory.

Here we can admire the world-renowned collection of KPM porcelain ( Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur - Royal Porcelain Factory in Berlin) and a huge collection of Chinese porcelain.

In 1763, Frederick II officially became the manufactory’s owner. For his palaces alone he ordered 21 dinner services, each of them with 36 place settings and up to 500 separate parts complimented by elaborate table centerpieces.

For Frederick the Great (Frederick II) like his predecessors, silver and gold table services represented an essential means for displaying power.

The services he commissioned from the Meissen porcelain manufactory included a multitude of different forms.

In the 17th and 18th centuries meals were served “à la française”: the whole table was spread with tureens, dishes, platters and bowls containing all sorts of food.