Porcelain - Augarten Porzellan

luxury froM Vienna
tHe HistoRy of
Viennese PoRcelain
In 1717, Claudius Innocentius du Paquier succeeded
in bringing the recipe of porcelain production,
a strictly kept secret, to Vienna on an
adventurous journey. He received a special privilege
from Emperor Charles VI, which gave him
the exclusive right of manufacturing porcelain
in the Austrian monarchy. So Europe’s second
oldest porcelain factory came to be founded in
Vienna in 1718 – on a site along today’s Porzellangasse.
In 1744, the factory was transferred to imperial
ownership under the reign of Maria Theresa.
Since those days, every single item has been
marked with the underglaze cobalt blue beehive
or banded shield, once the coat of arms
of the Austrian dukes, as a protection against
forgery. Prevalent during Maria Theresa’s
epoch, the light and breezy style of the Rococo
was also reflected in the pieces manufactured
by the Vienna porcelain factory. Playful genre
scenes borrowed from compositions by such
famous painters as Antoine Watteau represent
this era in an unmistakable manner.
The factory saw a new heyday between 1784
and 1805, under the directorship of Conrad
Sörgel von Sorgenthal. The “painterly period” of
the Neoclassic celebrated the return to straight
forms and antique models; raised gilded patterns,
palmettes, and cornucopias adorn the
porcelain objects dating from that period.
Thanks to the Congress of Vienna, the porcelain
factory gained high recognition far beyond the
country’s borders, and porcelain from Vienna
was greatly appreciated by many aristocratic
dynasties across Europe.
During the Biedermeier era, Viennese porcelain
became a status symbol for the prospering
bourgeoisie. The forms and patterns of the
handmade little gems dating from that epoch
still offer delight today: the “Viennese Rose”
and various patterns of floral sprays graced
the tables of wealthy citizens. Due to the rapid
rise of competitors in the Austrian lands and
abroad, the renowned factory was forced to
close down in 1864. Its extensive collection of
models and designs was entrusted to the
Museum of Art and Industry, today’s Museum
of Applied Art.
An important chapter in Austrian history had
thus come to an end, if only temporarily. Sixty
years later, the porcelain factory was reopened
in the Augarten Palace – its current location –
on 2 May 1923.
Under the name of “Vienna Augarten Porcelain
Manufactory”, the tradition of the former imperial
factory has ever since been continued
and enriched by new impulses. The company
opened its mind to modern movements and
began to realize designs by such contemporary
artists as Josef Hoffmann, Michael
Powolny, Franz von Zülow, and
other members of the Wiener
Werkstätte. The collaboration
with talented artists
has stimulated the
factory’s language of
form to this very
day and ensures
an exciting dialogue
between
tradition and
modernity.
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