Born in Dresden, Germany, Meissen is the first true ceramic factory in Europe. Its “Blue Onion” series is considered the “trailblazer” for many European porcelain collectors, truly deserving the title of Europe’s first porcelain.
It was Meissen that cracked the secret of Oriental porcelain, paving the way for European porcelain factories to flourish.
And the founder of Meissen, the father of European porcelain, was mathematician and natural scientist Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus. Starting at the age of 24, he conducted research on the temperature and formula for firing pottery and porcelain, in order to create European blue and white porcelain.
During the 17th century, no king would believe that “Europeans could produce their own porcelain.” It took the Dutch several decades to create low-end imitations of Chinese blue and white porcelain, known as Delftware. The idea of producing porcelain in Europe seemed like a fairy tale.
With no investors and no decent laboratory, Tschirnhaus embarked on an “irreversible path.”
In 1694, at the age of 43, Tschirnhaus finally successfully fired the first true porcelain shard. He shared this news in a letter to his friend, renowned mathematician Leibniz, which is still considered a milestone in the history of European porcelain production.
In 1697, Tschirnhaus published his research findings and was appointed a member of the French Academy of Sciences.
However, King Augustus II of Saxony, who was also facing financial crisis, rejected Tschirnhaus’ request for laboratory funding. He even chose to believe in the alchemist’s “philosopher’s stone” rather than supporting Tschirnhaus’ experiments.
It was only after spending a significant amount of money without any results that he finally realized the importance of listening to Tschirnhaus’ advice and decided to invest in a porcelain laboratory.
At the same time, Tschirnhaus saved Friedrich Böttger, a swindler and alchemist with remarkable chemical talent who had almost been hanged, and appointed him as his assistant.
In 1706, the two of them established a large laboratory in a palace in Dresden, where they continued to adjust the porcelain formula. In 1708, Tschirnhaus discovered that gypsum could be used as a better fluxing agent, significantly reducing the firing temperature required for production. The improved kiln also met the requirements for firing in the artisans’ design.
But despair always follows the footsteps of hope. At the end of 1708, Tschirnhaus contracted dysentery and passed away within a few months, leaving Böttger with only a partial understanding of porcelain production.
With the death of the project leader, Böttger, his deputy who had already gained substantial knowledge about the laboratory, took over all of Tschirnhaus’ work.
In fact, during the years spent by Tschirnhaus’ side, Böttger had become the person who knew the laboratory the best, besides Tschirnhaus himself. His exceptional talent made up for his shortcomings in the field of porcelain formula.
Furthermore, King Augustus II ordered Tschirnhaus’ close friend, scholar Steinbrück, to join the Dresden laboratory, further assisting Böttger in mastering the porcelain formula and all the results of chemical experiments. Fulfilling the king’s dream of producing porcelain was no longer a difficulty.
After much effort, Böttger finally fired the first batch of white porcelain in March 1709 and reported to the king: “Now we can also manufacture white and painted porcelain. The finished products are in good condition, although they are not as good as those from the East India Company, the difference is negligible.”
On March 7, 1710, the factory with a royal decree was established at Albrechtsburg Castle in Meissen, bearing the emblem of the Saxon sword. Meissen, the first porcelain factory in Europe, was officially born. Böttger was appointed as the first director of the Meissen porcelain factory, leading its name to resound throughout Europe.
