Meissen Chteau d'Hex Coffee and Tea Service
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This rare, complete Meissen coffee and tea service was housed at the famed Chteau d'Hex
Key Features
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- This stunning Meissen coffee and tea service was commissioned by the Prince-Bishop of Liège
- Once housed at the Chateau d'Hex, the set features individual hand-painted cartouches on each piece
- Stamped with Meissen crossed swords and asterisks in blue underglaze, with impressed numerals
- Includes 43 pieces
- Circa 1775-90
- Coffee pot: 9 ½" high; Case: 31" wide x 25" deep x 8 3/4" high
Item Details
- Width:
C: 31 Inches - Height:
C: 8 3/4 Inches - Depth:
C: 25 Inches - Period:
18th Century - Origin:
Germany/Prussia
This rare and extensive Meissen porcelain tea and coffee service was housed at the Chateau d'Hex in Limburg, Belgium, a magnificent mid-18th century country mansion built by Prince-Bishop de Liège, Charles-François de Velbrück (1719-84). This magnificent service was crafted under the direction of the famed Count Camillo Marcolini, and each of the 43 pieces features delicately hand-painted cartouches of male and female figures within an idyllic landscape populated by buildings, trees, rocks and rivers. Each unique landscape was almost certainly inspired by the parks and gardens surrounding the chateau as well as buildings in the town of Limburg. Accented with gilt borders, painted and applied rosebuds and tied blue ribbons, this design is among the most exquisite Meissen ever created. Such a large and luxurious set as this, with each piece painted with individual scenes, would only have been destined for a man of Velbrück's standing and would undoubtedly have appealed to one of the Enlightenment's most colorful figures.
Founded in the early 18th century, the legendary Meissen factory was the first European ceramics manufacturer to produce "true" or hard-paste porcelain and remained unrivaled in terms of innovation and beauty for decades. Though the formula for hard-paste porcelain gradually found its way across Europe, the Royal Manufactory at Meissen continued to produce some of the finest porcelain works the world had ever seen. Creating such intricate items as this service was a painstaking process, and the enormous decorative detail is an indication of the incredible level of skill attained by Meissen artists.
The set is housed in its fitted, silk-lined case, each piece held in its own space in both the bottom and lid.
Provenance:
Chateau d'Hex, Limburg, Belgium;
thence by descent to the present noble occupants
Each piece is stamped with Meissen crossed swords and asterisks in blue underglaze, with various impressed numerals
Circa 1775-90
Coffee pot: 9 ½" high
Case: 31" wide x 25" deep x 8 3/4" high
This service comprises:
1 coffee pot
1 teapot
1 hot water jug
1 sucrier, or sugar bowl
1 spoon tray
1 tea caddy
1 waste bowl
6 coffee cups with saucers
12 tea cups with saucers
The scion of two noble families, Velbrück was a man of the Enlightenment, a humanist, savvy politician and patron of the arts who was passionate about nature and literature. He was known not only for building this fabulous chteau, but also for his many attempts to bring reform to Liège, often for the benefit of the poor and infirm.
Velbrück's Chateau d'Hex is one of the most impressive estates in all of Belgium. It was built in the latest fashion, situated on high ground overlooking vast fields, woodland and hunting grounds. On these lands, Velbrück laid down 12 acres of formal gardens, inspired by the French garden style, in which he created a rose garden, a Chinese garden, as well as a vegetable garden, all of which remain today. Once the formal gardens had been laid out, Velbrück added a landscape park, an early version of nature preserve. It was one of the first on the European continent and was evidently inspired by the famous English garden architect Capability Brown. Upon Velbrück's death, the Count d'Ansembourg, his cousin by marriage, inherited his estate. The chteau and its possessions remained within the family until the second half of the 20th century, when it was inherited by another family member through marriage, and remained so until recent years.
During the 18th century and well into the 19th, tea and coffee remained the prerogative of the wealthiest classes. Great emphasis was given to creating the most beautiful sets, of which this is a most stunning example. It was made at the celebrated Meissen factory near Dresden during the Marcolini period (1774-1814), which began when Frederick Augustus III Elector of Saxony placed Count Camillo Marcolini in charge. During the Marcolini period, the Neo-classical style superseded Rococo ornament and form and designs were much influenced by those produced by Sèvres. Also influential was the painter and engraver Johann Elias Zeissig, known as Schönau. Having studied in Paris under Greuze, Schönau supplied many exquisite designs for painting and plastic works at Meissen, including Sèvres-style vases, as well as full services. Tea and coffee sets were often, as in this set, painted with miniature-style views, some showed landscapes with Saxon castles, and others displaying copies of paintings by Canaletto, Angelica Kaufmann or even Boucher.
Founded in the early 18th century, the legendary Meissen factory was the first European ceramics manufacturer to produce "true" or hard-paste porcelain and remained unrivaled in terms of innovation and beauty for decades. Though the formula for hard-paste porcelain gradually found its way across Europe, the Royal Manufactory at Meissen continued to produce some of the finest porcelain works the world had ever seen. Creating such intricate items as this service was a painstaking process, and the enormous decorative detail is an indication of the incredible level of skill attained by Meissen artists.
The set is housed in its fitted, silk-lined case, each piece held in its own space in both the bottom and lid.
Provenance:
Chateau d'Hex, Limburg, Belgium;
thence by descent to the present noble occupants
Each piece is stamped with Meissen crossed swords and asterisks in blue underglaze, with various impressed numerals
Circa 1775-90
Coffee pot: 9 ½" high
Case: 31" wide x 25" deep x 8 3/4" high
This service comprises:
1 coffee pot
1 teapot
1 hot water jug
1 sucrier, or sugar bowl
1 spoon tray
1 tea caddy
1 waste bowl
6 coffee cups with saucers
12 tea cups with saucers
The scion of two noble families, Velbrück was a man of the Enlightenment, a humanist, savvy politician and patron of the arts who was passionate about nature and literature. He was known not only for building this fabulous chteau, but also for his many attempts to bring reform to Liège, often for the benefit of the poor and infirm.
Velbrück's Chateau d'Hex is one of the most impressive estates in all of Belgium. It was built in the latest fashion, situated on high ground overlooking vast fields, woodland and hunting grounds. On these lands, Velbrück laid down 12 acres of formal gardens, inspired by the French garden style, in which he created a rose garden, a Chinese garden, as well as a vegetable garden, all of which remain today. Once the formal gardens had been laid out, Velbrück added a landscape park, an early version of nature preserve. It was one of the first on the European continent and was evidently inspired by the famous English garden architect Capability Brown. Upon Velbrück's death, the Count d'Ansembourg, his cousin by marriage, inherited his estate. The chteau and its possessions remained within the family until the second half of the 20th century, when it was inherited by another family member through marriage, and remained so until recent years.
During the 18th century and well into the 19th, tea and coffee remained the prerogative of the wealthiest classes. Great emphasis was given to creating the most beautiful sets, of which this is a most stunning example. It was made at the celebrated Meissen factory near Dresden during the Marcolini period (1774-1814), which began when Frederick Augustus III Elector of Saxony placed Count Camillo Marcolini in charge. During the Marcolini period, the Neo-classical style superseded Rococo ornament and form and designs were much influenced by those produced by Sèvres. Also influential was the painter and engraver Johann Elias Zeissig, known as Schönau. Having studied in Paris under Greuze, Schönau supplied many exquisite designs for painting and plastic works at Meissen, including Sèvres-style vases, as well as full services. Tea and coffee sets were often, as in this set, painted with miniature-style views, some showed landscapes with Saxon castles, and others displaying copies of paintings by Canaletto, Angelica Kaufmann or even Boucher.
