Vase "Sun roses", H 37,5 cm

“The sunflower would fain greet you, always being drawn towards the sun. Standing previously rejected, when you appear ’tis at once perfected.” This is how Johann Wolfgang von Goethe portrays what we now call the sun or rock rose. There is perfection, too, in this “Palace Vase”, whose pure form has been accommodating all manner of motifs and styles ever since 1725, in this case sun roses in cobalt blue. “Blue and white” painters are renowned for their meticulousness. They brush the as yet nondescript grey cobalt onto the unfired porcelain, where it quickly soaks deep into the body. The first touch is crucial; the painting has got to be right “first go”. The dull grey colour turns a magically lustrous blue during firing and the brilliantly accomplished painting is now plain to see.