Meissen teabowl and saucer and Japanese Arita teabowl and saucer

Code: MB639

Circa 1730-35 and Edo Period, early 18th century

Hard-paste porcelain

Height of cups: 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) each

Diameter of saucers: 5 1/8 and 5 in. (13 and 12.7 cm.)

Marks: Meissen example with crossed swords in underglaze blue, impressed Dreher's mark

The workers at Meissen were quite exact in their version of this Japanese teabowl and saucer. Both the Meissen copy and the Japanese prototype exhibit the subtle blossoms in relief within the teabowl’s interior. The chrysanthemum was a common motif used in Japanese export and domestic porcelain, representing peace of mind. A pair of Japanese teabowls and saucers of this pattern are in the collection of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, exhibiting the Johanneum inventory mark N=136 of Augustus the Strong’s Japanese Palace.