The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-09-29
lARE PIECES OF CHINA.
he Romance Of the Royal Pot
teries Of Dresden and
Their Wares.

4 rail Ceramics Which Are Held
Priceless by Their Lucky
Owners.
he Fabrication of Counterfeit Ware
h Carried ON in the Birth
Is place Of the Art
No one can help admitting that the Ger
ans are sincere lovers and experienced
onnoisseurs in ceramic art, says writer
!, the New York Sun; not only do they as q
alton possess public collections of china
t: enormous richness and value. but az
ldividuals they are equally we'll endowed.
here are few ancient families who do not
I'm numerous rare specimens. The great
obles of the Roman empire have bequeath-
l to their descendants whole services OF
slicate porcelain, made purposely for them
J Nielsen, bearing their crests or coats of
ms. German castles and residences give
ridence of the same artistic appreciation
b Italian palaces; only in the latter, pic
stres and statues are held in highest honors,
lille in the former the treasures of more
little. but no less beautiful, art stands en-
sroned. There are very few German man.
ons in town or country that do not pos
ss these precious ceramic heirlooms, for
iere was time when Nielsen was not the
ally important porcelain mandatory; it
I'D powerful rivals in Nymphenbourg,
Ida, Gotha, Berlin and especially
aechst, in the Electorate of Mainz,
sshich enjoyed a brilliant if temporary
rosperity. Nowadays the finest works of
se art illustrated by Boettger, Handler,
Nelchior, are deposited in the royal pal
es of Dresden, Gotha and Charlottenburg,
though the magnificent collections of the
tier two residences have gone through Sc
re ordeals. When Queen Victoria paid q
sit to her father-ln-law, Ernest H., in
der to congratulate him on the treaty Of
t:ankfurt, concluded in Germany to the
ftriment of the French, the whole ducal
mily of GOtha and their retinue were so
-xious to do honor to the British sovereign
lat the invaluable Dresden service of the
lace was placed in daily use and suffered
nsiderable damage. The same thing oc-
FRED at Charlottenburg in 1883. The
essence Of Queen Victoria again
owed disastrous to the ceramic
Fms; many pieces got broken, even
me that had belonged to Sophie Char
tie, the consort of Frederick the First.
The great Frederick, who loved china,
|Rperintendent of the queens household,
se of Berlin manufacture, with note,
Tying: II am not rich. Pray accept this
agile gift as if it were of gold, for we are
arly paupers now. We have only honor,
mantle. and-china left"
In truth, porcelain was the sole wealth,
it was the chief passion, in Germany dur
NASTY loved it dearly, although in diff
trent fashion. The Saxon rulers had it
at home,s without counting
% immense expenditure. The Hohenzol-
ms, more catholic in their tastes, ap-
|5opriated it how and where they could.
hen the Prussian troops occupied Saxony
ederick II. visited the royal manufacture
/ sontained, turned 10 the generals Of his
\ ito and invited them to select from the
|, Jos whatever they preferred. The war
I RS, charmed with the kings generosity,
\ $50 what seemed to each most precious, It
4 thus that Gen. Won Polenz became the
I SCISSOR of the well-known dinner service
1T remained in his family till 1887. How
ssr, few months later, Frederick, being
S3rt OF money, sent to all of the favored
icers the bills of the articles they had
f5osen, with a request that they should be
id forthwith. The rulers of Saxony were
Es businesslike. In one of the Dresden |
lseums are still to be seen eighteen vases |
Chinese porcelains with blue designs on
White ground called the Dragoner Vasen, |
-ich owe their name to one Of the most |
Y gular bargains ever made by two mon |
A;hs.
II frederick William /. liked China, but
,ferred soldiers; his neighbor, Augustus
Il e!ector OF Saxony and king of Poland,
ed less for his army than for the mar
u Vi lous products of Chinese and Japanese
Eamics. never calculating the cost of
aatiffying his tastes. During one of the in
N walls of goodfellowship between the two
snereigns Frederick showed Augustus his
II lection of rare China. The latter con-
I we'd an inordinate longing for eighteen
ne and white vases, but the Saxon treasury
we'll nigh empty, and the Polish one
slg was too prudent to part with
III vases on credit, but wanted to
s'hange them for the finest of
:, Saxon Dragon lin German
agony regiments: Augustus sagreed,
Il the men were at once incorporated with
q Prusslan army. The successors of the
Esctor as they view the Dragoner vasen in
~ OOAoA AuSouu, nave PROBABLY more
IN once regretted that at the time of the
s'upation OF Saxony by the great Freder-
# the stalwart regiment was represented
sy by eighteen fragile vases.
NJ is, however, to Augustus II. that Eur
p owes the development, almost the crea-
n, of Dresden china; he conceived and
ip'cuted the plan of founding a national
nufactory of ceramic products, and had
n excellent idea of securing the services of
81 famous Frederick BoettRer. The ca
tr OF this man was singular and adven-
ous. He began life in Berlin as an
'thecary, then happening to make the &C
alntance OF a Greek named Lascaris. who
listed that he could make gold, he bought
IN him recipe supposed to be infallible.
Pttger threw himself heart and soul into
4hemy and worked indefatipably at his
I cibles. After many trials and experi-I
snts, one day he discovered the secret.
4 of making gold, but of rare porcelain
Il commemorate this incident be had the II
owing inscription placed over the door
lis laboratory at Koenigstein:
God, who created the whole world,
II Out of gold maker made potter
ugustus III. settled the would-be alchem-
in the Albertburg, the old feudal resi-
ace of the Victims and henceforth
issen was.
Inrivalled as the discoverer of new and
rvellous shades and colors that are as in
table MS they are beautiful, Boettser
4 deplorable administrator; under his
nagement the finances of Meissen suf-
I I'D greatly and he left them at his death
1 ruinous condition. His successor.
s,rge Herold., however, set theoretically
work to restore them, and to him the
al manufactory owed the apogee of its