Limited Masterworks Vase Opulent Oriental Painting

Rich Indian flower painting covers this traditional covered vase with blossoms of exotic splendour and remarkable elegance. Yet this decorative style has been part of Meissen's artistic heritage since the earliest years of the manufactory. When Christopher Columbus set sail in 1492 in search of a western sea route to an Indian port, he recorded lands lying "beyond India" in his journal. As a result, until the beginning of the sixteenth century, regions east of India were commonly referred to as "India Meridionalis" and "India Superior". The porcelains imported from China and Japan for the collection of Augustus the Strong were therefore generally described as "Indian", and their floral and mythical motifs became known as "Indian painting". In the late 1720s, Gregorius Höroldt developed a new palette of polychrome overglaze colours that enabled this style of decoration to flourish at MEISSEN^®.

For her refined reinterpretation of the design on this covered vase, Anett Gerner requires only three colours. A deep black shimmers beneath the glaze. Before the second firing, delicate shades of grey and vivid purple are applied with the finest brushstrokes. With a little imagination, an ornate silk saddlecloth seems to reveal a garden beyond, where luxuriant flowering plants emerge from the profound darkness of night. This powerful contrast lends the stylised floral landscape, partly inspired by historical models and partly freely invented, its contemporary character and expressive strength.

Subtle accents enhanced with platinum provide precious highlights throughout the decoration, creating luminous effects reminiscent of the enchanting glow of moonlight itself.