Refining

Figurine Assembly

From small chess pieces to animal sculptures measuring over a meter in height, the MEISSEN Porcelain Manufactory produces a wide variety of figurines each year through elaborate traditional handwork. Every figurine is created from original molds that are carefully preserved in the manufactory’s own form archive. In this process, centuries-old craft techniques, precise modeling, and artistic expertise come together to ensure the characteristic attention to detail and expressive power of MEISSEN porcelain.

Figurine Production with Precision

The individual molded parts from the casting molds are carefully joined by the assembler using liquid porcelain body—the so-called slip—to create a figurine. In the process, a wide range of tools is used, including modeling sticks, cutting knives, brushes, and sponges, to bring out the fine structures of the figurine with precision.

It takes meticulous accuracy and years of experience to reproduce the period-specific formal language of each figurine. Every detail—from folds in fabric to hands and facial features—must be modeled so that, in the end, all seams disappear and the figurine appears to have been cast from a single piece.

For figurines with dynamic movement profiles, additional braces and supports are used to prevent deformation during firing.

Artistry

After assembly, each figurine goes through a drying process, the duration of which depends on the size of the object. In addition to pure white sculptures, many figurines are also decorated and completed in color—the task of the staffage painters. This work requires in-depth knowledge of different stylistic and fashion eras, as reflected in clothing, uniforms, and accessories.

Handling the figurines often presents the employees of the MEISSEN Porcelain Manufactory with special challenges: the sequence of work steps must be planned precisely so that the figurine remains accessible until the very end. Each sculpture is decorated all around, including in hard-to-reach areas, ensuring that the final result is perfect from every angle.

Kaolin & Mine

Kaolin is an exceptionally fine, light-colored clay and the foundation of Meissen porcelain. It has been mined in Seilitz near Meissen since 1764.

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Form Archive

The form archive houses historical and current plaster molds from the MEISSEN Manufactory. They make it possible to reproduce many porcelain objects in faithful detail.

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