Meissen Porcelain Set, ca. 1920
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APPRAISER:
You brought us some porcelain today. And I believe it's been in your family for a while?
GUEST:
Quite a few years, yes.
APPRAISER:
Well, it is Meissen, and I know that because we can look underneath and we can see the very typical Meissen mark of the crossed swords. Just to give you some history, Meissen factory started early in the 18th century. It was under the patronage of August the Strong in Dresden, Germany, and Meissen made very elaborate royal-taste pieces that were influenced by the Japanese porcelains and the Chinese porcelain that August the Strong collected and wanted to reproduce and copy. This particular pattern is called Blue Onion because around the edges, it has blue onions. Towards the end of the 18th century, August the Strong no longer was a force and they needed to find a new market, so they introduced the Blue Onion service for a much more upper-middle-class market. It's more provincial in taste, slightly sort of the country look, and it was enormously popular. And it was so popular and is so popular, they're still making it today and you can still buy it from Meissen brand-new. Now, to your pieces-- they are made early in the 20th century. They're dated probably somewhere around 1920. It has slight condition problems. Some of the gilding is lost and the putti's head has been off. But retail, you're looking-- because it is such an important factory-- you're still looking at around $1,200 for the tureen, and for your leaf-shaped dishes I would say somewhere around $400 each. So it's still very nice, and thank you for sharing it with us.
GUEST:
Thank you very much.
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