The secret of the element vases
#MASTERWORKS
#MASTERWORKS
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Fire, water, earth, air - the aristocracy of the 18th century loved allegorical representations of the elements. Personified in gods, illustrated by living creatures and artefacts, the forces of nature appeared animated, so human and superhuman. In the splendid France of the time, depictions of the elements also reflected contemporary trends in art, architecture, literature and philosophy. Especially under the reign of Louis XV (1710-1774), who loved splendor and pageantry above all else, the country experienced an unprecedented cultural and artistic boom.
In this cultural climate, Saxony's Elector Frederick Augustus III, son of the legendary Augustus the Strong, commissioned the famous model master Johann Joachim Kaendler to design a series of magnificent element vases for the French king in 1741. The result was a set of four large element vases and a central center vase. As a gift from the MEISSEN porcelain manufactory to the monarch, these magnificent vases symbolize not only the wealth and power of the French kingdom, but also the close connection between the ruling houses of Europe and Europe's leading art manufactories.
Later, in 1747, Kaendler first began to produce the magnificent vases in a medium version and in 1755 in a small version. MEISSEN is now presenting the latter for the first time in our “Limited Masterworks” in a new edition, which allows Kaendler's masterpieces, which once stood for a new European porcelain art and have not lost their splendor to this day, to shine in a new light.
"The history of art is the history of revivals."
Samuel Butler
Samuel Butler
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For the new edition of the “small” element vases, however, the MEISSEN craftsmen were confronted with several artisanal challenges. For the “Air” vase, for example, 60 individual shapes had to be assembled, the windmill wheel adjusted and the bellows fitted precisely. The “Water” vase consists of 54 individual shapes and fitting and attaching the filigree, net-like cage in particular requires a great deal of dexterity. The “Earth” vase, which consists of 32 individual shapes, stands out due to the agave on the neck of the bottle, which has numerous individual leaves that have to be modeled, joined together and finally decorated. The “Fire” vase even has 85 individual shapes. What all four vases have in common is the technical difficulty in approaching the breakthrough - when is the right time to cut it out, when do kites or other decorations need to be attached? But all the effort was worth it and a work of European porcelain art with a long history could be recreated.
In more than 310 years of manufacturing history, MEISSEN has produced countless showpieces and masterpieces in porcelain. And so it is an honor for us to reissue a few great pieces from the past every year - whether as pieces from the “Limited Edition”, the “Exclusive Collection” or the “Limited Masterworks”. And so now, as part of the “Exclusive Collection”, we have also created the work of art that was once made as the centerpiece of the element vase set for Louis XV. In the select circle of our exclusive works of art, this vase is not only a masterpiece of craftsmanship, but also an important historical artifact that documents both the cultural heyday of France and the outstanding skills of the Meissen porcelain manufactory.
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