Extraordinary 16th-century Medici bottle comes to the Netherlands

08 februari 2024

The Princessehof National Museum of Ceramics in Leeuwarden presents Porcelain Fever: the white gold of Augustus the Strong and Madame de Pompadour. The exhibition outlines the spectacular genesis of European porcelain; a competitive struggle full of intrigue, espionage and drama. The exhibition opens with a rare Medici bottle. This 16th-century object, made in the Medici workshop in Florence, is the result of the very first successful porcelain experiment in Europe. It bears the coat of arms of Philip II of Spain, indicating that even these very first porcelain experiments were proudly used as diplomatic gifts. The Medici bottle, manufactured around 1581, is being loaned to the Princessehof by the world-famous ceramics collection in Sèvres especially for the Porcelain Fever exhibition. No Medici porcelain can be found in museum collections in the Netherlands, making the exhibition in Leeuwarden a rare opportunity for the public to admire such a special piece up close.

Bottle painted with the coat of arms of Philip II of Spain, Medici workshop, Florence, 1581, © RMN-Grand Palais (Sèvres - Manufa

Campaign image Porcelain Fever exhibition

‘White gold’

Francesco de' Medici (1541-1587), grand duke of Tuscany, was the first person in Europe to try to reproduce porcelain clay. After ten long years, he finally succeeded in creating a porcelain-like material. However, this so-called Medici porcelain lacks that one indispensable ingredient of true porcelain: the raw material kaolin.

Visitors to the Porcelain fever: the white gold of Augustus the Strong and Madame de Pompadour exhibition will discover the origin story of European ‘white gold’, a turning point and absolute highlight in the history of ceramics. Until the early 18th century, only pottery and stoneware were made in Europe: attempts to imitate the beautiful, thin, white porcelain from Asia had been unsuccessful. Without the porcelain formula and knowledge of the essential ingredients, the European elite relied on imported Asian porcelain to alleviate their porcelain malady. That changed when the correct raw material (kaolin) was finally found in Meissen in 1708. A veritable porcelain fever broke out, which soon swept across Europe.

Zoo

Besides the extraordinary Medici bottle from 1581, the exhibition features many other spectacular loans; a dozen life-size animals from Augustus the Strong’s porcelain zoo, technical ceramic masterpieces by sculptor Johann Gottlieb Kirchner, as well as the unique notebook of Jean Hellot, the first chemist at the Sèvres factory. Behind each object is a special story illustrating the porcelain mania of the 18th century, such as a metre-high Chinese dragoon vase. Frederick of Prussia exchanged thirteen of these vases, along with 138 other porcelain objects, with Augustus the Strong for 600 of his soldiers.

Mythical dragon-like figure, 1730, Porzellanmanufaktur Meissen, attributed to Johann Gottlieb Kirchner, porcelain, Sèvres, Manuf

Fox with cockerel, Porzellansammlung, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Photo: Adrian Sauer

Key protagonists

This new exhibition and the accompanying publication outline the genesis of European porcelain, an intense rivalry suffused with intrigue, espionage and drama. Two protagonists, Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony, King of Poland and founder of the Meissen porcelain factory in Germany; and Madame de Pompadour, mistress, cultural adviser and confidante of King Louis XV and patron of the Sèvres porcelain factory in France, played key roles in spreading this porcelain fever during the 18th century.

Publication

The exhibition will be accompanied by a lavishly illustrated, 224-page publication which delves even deeper into the miraculous genesis of European porcelain through a number of key figures. Rarely has an art history book been populated by such colourful characters, so much intrigue and so many extravagant and exuberant objects. Besides the curators of the exhibition – Denise Campbell and Laura Smeets – experts from Germany, France and England provided contributions.

The bilingual (Dutch | English) publication Porseleinkoorts. Het wonderbaarlijke ontstaan van Europees Porselein / Porcelain Fever. The miraculous origins of European porcelain is issued by Waanders Uitgeverij Zwolle, costs €29.95, and is available from the museum’s (web)shop. www.princessehof.nl

PRESS INVITATION

Would you like to attend the press preview on Thursday 29 February and Friday 1 March? Curators Denise Campbell and Laura Smeets will be on hand to discuss the exhibition and be interviewed.

To register, please contact Janke Vlas, j.vlas@princessehof.nl or 058 205 00 64.

The exhibition Porcelain Fever is made possible in part by: the Mondriaan Fund, Turing Foundation, Blockbusterfonds XTRA, Cultuurfonds, Fonds Angela E., the Blauwe Baan Fonds, Van Achterbergh-Domhof Foundation, Leeuwarder Ondernemers Fonds, Stichting Cultuur FB Oranjewoud, St. Anthony Gasthuis Fonds, Boelstra- Olivierstichting, Stichting Herbert Duintjer Fonds

Princessehof partners: Ottema-Kingma Foundation, Vereniging van Vrienden Keramiekmuseum Princessehof and Club Céramique.

The Princessehof National Museum of Ceramics is co-funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the Municipality of Leeuwarden.