Consisting of teapot: 11.9 cm high; tea caddy: 10.1 cm high; two cups: 4,5 cm high; ‘Dallwitz’ nail ‘/’ in the standing ring; two saucers: Ø 12,6 cm; ‘--’ in the footrim of one saucer
From the early period of Höroldt, Böttger porcelain before introduction of the marks; Meissen ca. 1721/22
Our partial service consists of fine translucent Böttger porcelain made before the mark was introduced in Meissen. Painting of the Japanese Kakiemon style, the colour palette is dominated by light purple, iron red and Böttger lustre, discreetly used green and yellow.
The shape of the teapot with its ornamental, s-shaped handle with bar attachment and rolled-up ends (Weber 2013 II p. 428) as well as the faceted spout is documented in the “reports on the activities of the Meissen dreher and former from 6.6.1722 to 31.12.1728 with the designation "Theekrügel" (Boltz in Keramos 178/2002 p. 104 fig. 101). In 1722 - the first year for which production figures have been published so far - 264 pieces were made according to Boltz. Our teapot could belong to this group or it could have been produced a year earlier. The hexagonal tea caddy is a typical Meissen mould.
There are further clues for dating. The motifs of the painting with the air rocks, "Indian" flowers and birds are reminiscent of Japanese Kakiemon porcelains, which dominated Meissen production from 1729 on, during the Hoym/Lemaire affair, until 1731. Our service, however, was created much earlier. The palette deviates from the typical Kakiemon style and is characterised by light purple and iron red, which harmonise with the strong Bötger-luster on the teapot. The Böttger-luster apparently replaces the gold decoration, which was completely missing in the painting and which Höroldt only really mastered from 1726/27 on (Langeloh 2019 p. 557). The missing gold borders, which otherwise came from Funcke in the workshop and the for Funcke atypical colours suggest that we are not dealing with a Funckian work, but that the partial service was painted by Höroldt himself or in his workshop (Horn or Heintze), which was very small at the time. In view of the Böttger lustre, no “Hausmalerei” is possible.
Apart from the early painting, the missing marks are decisive for the dating. The service pieces have neither incised marks, which were used in Meissen from about 1732 onwards, nor a manufactory mark. The first use of an underglaze blue mark documented in Meissen is the caduceus mark on the six famous blue-white bowls with sailing ships. Thanks to their palace mark 'N=68-W' and the information in the first inventory of the Japanese Palace, we know that the bowls were delivered to the Japanese Palace by the King, in February 1722 for his collection (Langeloh 2019 p. 570; Boltz in Keramos 153/1996 section c p. 70; Menzhausen 1969 p. 50). Later, in July 1722, the first letter mark 'MPM' was introduced, followed by 'KPF' (November 1722), KPM (December 1722) and then (probably after April 1723) KPM with swords (see also previous nos. 1, 2), followed by the general introduction of the swords mark for all Meissen porcelains.
We date the partial service before the mark’s introduction time in 1721/22. The few comparative pieces in painting support this dating. They all date from the time around or before the introduction of the swords mark:
