Böttger porcelain, before the introduction of the swords mark
Painted by Johann Gregorius Höroldt, Meissen, c. 1725
Height: 12.5 cm
Slightly conical shape on a stepped, profiled foot with partial gilding. A gold-accented acanthus frieze encircles the base; at the top, hanging lotus blossoms alternate with delicate gold highlights. Above two iron-red lines runs a continuous terrain strip painted with finely executed, multi-figural chinoiserie scenes. At the centre appears a depiction of a seated ruler beneath a baldachin – a scene based on the engraving "Der hochedle Herr KiaKouli in seinem Lusthause" (“The Noble Lord KiaKouli in His Pleasure Pavilion”), published in 1719 by Martin Engelbrecht in Augsburg (see below).
Model
Lemon beakers were among the early commercial successes of the Meissen manufactory. Initially produced in Böttger stoneware, they later appeared – as in the present example – in Böttger porcelain. Several variations of the model are known:
plain or with applied reliefs such as “Kraußlaub”, acanthus, and hanging "Franzblümchen" (cf. Boltz in Keramos 167–168 / 2000, p. 34, fig. 31)
with or without crowned female mascarons
with or without a lid
Our example is decorated with applied reliefs and was conceived without a lid, as indicated by the smooth inner rim (lemon beakers with lids feature an unglazed biscuit rim on the inside).
With the onset of the Höroldt period, production shifted to favour the smooth-sided version, which offered an ideal surface for elaborate painted decoration. The term Lemon Beaker is historically attested in early factory inventories and price lists (cf. Boltz, ibid., pp. 40 f., no. 3.4), though it has been largely overlooked in later Meissen literature.
Graphic Source
All known lemon beakers are characterised by especially fine continuous painting, typically executed without the cartouche framing common to chinoiserie scenes. The central motif on the present beaker is based on an engraving from the series "Habitus et mores Sinensium", published around 1719 by Martin Engelbrecht in Augsburg. The image is titled:
“Nobilissimus Dominus KiaKouli in Villasua”
[“The Noble Lord KiaKouli in His Pleasure Pavilion”]
and originates from the series:
“Chinese Costumes and Customs, Designed in the Popular Contemporary Manner for Cutting Out.”
