Covered Jar

Description The invention of Meissen porcelain in early 1709 was a collective achievement that represents an early modern precursor to industrial chemistry and material science. Generally associated with artistic achievement of a high order, Meissen porcelain was also a technological achievement in the development of inorganic, non-metallic materials. Both the hexagonal shape and the enamel decoration of this jar were inspired by Japanese Arita wares with Kakiemon decoration. Augustus II, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, who founded the Meissen factory in 1710, had a collection of Japanese porcelain, which Meissen copied. In the Japanese Palace, Dresden, the ruler intermixed Japanese and Meissen pieces.

Provenance Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Inscriptions [Mark] crossed swords in blue; incised "M" or "W" filled with glaze

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters