Our collection of Dresden and Meissen is made up of museum quality pieces all depicting flawless scenes. All of our porcelain pieces are marked by the maker (unless otherwise stated) and appraised by a reputable firm. Learn more about Dresden and Meissen at this bottom of the page.
Dresden & Meissen
Pink Ballerina
Porcelain figure of a ballerina in pink, decorated in enamel gilt with Coraline lace detail
Mark: Underglaze blue crown with scroll mark on base
Era: Mid 20th Century
Condition: Excellent
Manufacture: Volkstedt Porcelain Factory, Dresden, Germany
Dimensions: 7.5” H x 5” W
Appraised Market Value: $420
Our Price: $390
Dos-E-Doe
Porcelain figure of a dancing couple in 17th century dress, finely decorated in enamel and gilt, with crinoline lace detail. Both in white with blue accents.
Mark: Underglaze blue crown with MZ Ireland mark on base
Era: After 1960
Condition: Excellent
Manufacture: Muller & co., Irish Dresden
Dimensions: 8.5” H x 6” W
Appraised Market Value: $540
Our Price: $502
Chaise Lounge
This beautiful porcelain figure group of a couple in 17th century dress seated on a divan with a dog, is decorated with enamel, gilt and chrioline lace detail.
Mark: Underglaze blue crown with MZ Ireland mark on base
Era: After 1960
Condition: Excellent
Manufacture: Muller & co. Irish Dresden
Dimensions: 6.5” H x 6” W
Appraised Market Value: $900
Our Price: $873
Cha-Cha-Cha
Lady and gentleman in court dress, each dancing with one raised arm. Both are finely decorated with enameled colors, Coraline lace, gilt detailing, and are raised on a baroque style base.
Mark: Underglaze blue crown with N mark, verso
Era: Mid 20th Century
Condition: Excellent
Manufacture: Dresden Porcelain Factory, Dresden, Germany
Dimensions: 10.75” H x 11.5” H (respectively)
Appraised Market Value: $1,200 each
Our Price: $1,116 (each)
Harpsichord
Porcelain figure of a single lady in a pink dress at the harpsichord, decorated with enamel colors, crinoline lace, and gilt detailing, on a baroque base.
Mark: Underglaze blue crown with name mark on base
Era: Mid 20th Century
Condition: Excellent
Manufacture: Dresden Porcelain factory, Dresden, Germany
Dimensions: 9” H x 16.5” W x 9″ D
Appraised Market Value: $1,800
Our Price: $1,674
Sing-along
Porcelain figural group of two ladies in court dress, one at the harpsichord and the other on the harp. Both are decorated with enamel colors and crinoline lace, and are detailed by gold thread and gilt.
Mark: Underglaze blue crown with N mark on base
Era: Mid 20th Century
Condition: Excellent
Manufacture: Dresden Porcelain Factory, Dresden, Germany
Dimensions: 10” H x 13” W x 9″ D
Appraised Market Value: $3,000
Our Price: $2,790
Story Time
This beautiful porcelain figure group of a 17th seated lady on a settee reading to a young girl and bay. This piece is finely decorated with enameled colors, gilt and crinoline lace detail and rests on a baroque style base.
Mark: Underglaze blue crown with N mark on base
Era: Mid 20th Century
Condition: Excellent
Manufacture: Dresden Porcelain Factory
Dimensions: 7.5” H x 9.5” W x 7″D
Appraised Market Value: $4,800
Our Price: $4,464
Me, Myself & U
Porcelain figural group with a seated gentleman and lady in front of a mirror. Finely decorated with enameled colors, crinoline lace and gilt detailing, raised on a baroque style base.
Mark: Underglaze blue crown with name mark on base.
Era: Mid 20th century.
Condition: Excellent
Manufacture: Unter Weiss Bach Factory, Dresden, Germany
Dimensions: 11.75″ H x 11.5” W x 7.5” D
Appraised Market Value: $7,200
Our Price: $6,699
Serenade
Porcelain figure group of a seated lady being serenaded by a gentleman with a lute, in 17th century court dress, finely decorated with enamel colors, Caroline lace, and gilt detailing. It is raised on a baroque style base.
Mark: Underglaze blue crown with name mark on base
Era: Mid 20th Century
Condition: Excellent
Manufacture: Unter Weiss Bach Factory, Dresden, Germany
Dimensions: 11.75” H x 11.5” W x 7.5″D
Appraised Market Value: $7,200
Our Price: $6,699
Check Mate
This beautiful porcelain figure group of a lady and gentleman in court dress, playing chess. This piece is decorated with enamel, gilt and crinoline lace detail and rests on a baroque style base.
Mark: Underglaze blue crown with N mark on base
Era: Mid 20th century
Condition: Excellent
Manufacture: Unter Weiss Bach Factory, Dresden, Germany
Dimensions: 10” H x 13” W x 9″ D
Appraised Market Value: $11,400
Our Price: $10,602
Blanc De Chine
Blanc De chine porcelain figural group of a parlour scene with two women, three children, and a gentleman in 17th century court dress with crinoline lace detailing and applied floral detail. Raised on a baroque styled base.
Mark: Underglaze blue crown with scrolls mark, verso.
Era: Mid 20th century.
Condition: Excellent
Manufacture: Volkstedt Porcelain Factory, Dresden, Germany
Dimensions: 15″ H x 22” W x 12” D
Appraised Market Value: $12,000
Our Price: $11,160
The Last Supper
A massive porcelain replica of the Last Supper. This piece comprises the twelve apostles and Jesus at a table eating, in hard paste porcelain with enameled colors and fine detailing. This generous masterpiece sits on a large raised base and is quite impressive.
Mark: Underglaze blue crown above S mark on base
Era: Mid 20th century.
Condition: Excellent
Manufacture: Sitzendorf Porcelain Manufactory, Dresden, Germany
Dimensions: 9.5″ H x 32″ W x 12″ D
Appraised Market Value: $18,600
Our Price: $17,298
Royal Wedding
Stunningly large figural group, comprising a royal wedding carriage drawn by four horses and having three footmen, a driver and the royal couple. Finely decorated in enamels with gilt detailing.
Mark: Underglaze blue S with crossed lines mark; Verso.
Era: Mid 20th century.
Condition: Excellent
Manufacture: Schiebe-Alsbach porcelain MFT, Dresden, Germany,
Dimensions: 12’H x 24” W x 7” D
Appraised Market Value: $21,600
Our Price: $20,088
Play On
An impressive porcelain figural group depicting a parlor scene with musicians in 17th century court dress. They are all playing instruments inclusive of the piano, harp, and the mandolin. Finely decorated with bright enameled colors and accented with flawless crinoline lace and gilt detailing, this generous masterpiece sits on a raised baroque style base.
Mark: Underglazed blue crown with scrolls mark; Verso.
Era: Mid 20th century.
Condition: Excellent
Manufacture: Volkstedt Porcelain Factory, Dresden
Dimensions: 13.75” H x 21” W x 14”D
Appraised Market Value: $30,000
Our Price: $27,900
Dresden 101
Dresden figurines draw their inspiration from the pieces made right down the Elbe River from Dresden, in Meissen. In fact, the link between Dresden and Meissen is so close, particularly in connection of United States and United Kingdom collectors, that for years the more familiar word, Dresden, was used to describe figurines and other porcelain pieces that had actually been produced in Meissen.
The confusion dates back to the early 18th century, when, in 1708, a faience (glazed earthenware) factory was founded in Dresden by a local alchemist named Johann Friedrich Böttger. Just two years later, Böttger and his team discovered a secret formula for hard-paste porcelain, which he began to produce in 1710, in Meissen. By the middle of the 18th century, figurines styled after Italian commedia dell’arte characters were common, and by the end of the 18th century, faience was out and Dresden-decorated, Meissen-made porcelain was in.
In the 19th century, there were multiple porcelain painters in Saxony who did their work at home and brought many new attractions to the traditional porcelain art. They started creatively decorating white porcelain bought somewhere else. One of them, Carl Thieme, decided to manufacture his personal white pieces, founding what is remembered today as the Saxon Porcelain Manufactory in Potschappel, in the year 1872. On September 17th 1872 he began producing decorative porcelain and man-made porcelain. A broken wall bracket was registered as very first model. One of Thiemes best employees was Karl August Kuntzsch, a talented flower modeler and later his son-in-law / business partner. He founded the tradition of opulent flower covering which is still very characteristic for Dresden Porcelain today. After the death of Thieme he proved himself as a far-sighted entrepreneur who continued the business successfully and introduced Dresden Porcelain to the international markets.
Kuntzsch travelled to the United States, organized the exports throughout Europe and won international awards and medals such as the international industrial exhibition in Brussels 1897, at the World exposition in Paris in 1900, and various art exhibitions. He made the Dresden Porcelain world-famous.
In 1882 a decorator named Helena Wolfsohn pioneered the first use of the Crown Dresden stamp. The following year, a quartet of decorators (Donath & Co., Adolph Hamann, Richard Klemm, and Oswald Lorenz) also registered a crown stamp as the official mark for their Dresden wares. Although there were no actual porcelain factories in the city, Dresden supported some 200 porcelain-decorating shops through World War II, when the industry was essentially bombed into oblivion.
There have been many different trademarks for Dresden Porcelain in the past. Since 1901, the blue “SP Dresden” (for Saxonian Porcelain Factory Dresden) is a protected trademark guaranteeing the authenticity of Dresden Porcelain. One of the most famous techniques of Dresden artists was a technique called Dresden lace. To create the illusion of real fabric on figurines of women dancing at royal balls or posing in groups, decorators would dip actual, delicate lace into a porcelain slip before applying it by hand to the porcelain figures. When fired in a kiln, the fabric would burn away, leaving a hard but extremely fragile shell of frozen crinoline skirts and billowy material behind.
The company often took part in industry, art, and world expositions. Numerous gold medals from Antwerp, Chicago, Paris, or Dresden document not only the high quality of the finished goods but also the significant artistic skills of the modelers, sculptors, and painters. Outlet stores were opened in the European capitals of Berlin, Stockholm, London, and Paris.
