A King’s Passion: The Creation of the Dresden Porcelain Collection
Historian Report from January 2021 Board Meeting
As a postscript to the presentation by Dr. Julia Weber, Director of the Dresden Porcelain Collection, Historian Celia Hilliard noted that the Society made its first purchase of Meissen porcelain in 1941. This was an acquisition recommended by Dr. Oswald Goetz, a German exile who was at that time the newly named associate curator of decorative arts. His proposal came at a pivotal moment in the Society’s history as an organization, when it was seeking to rethink its collecting strategy and develop a closer partnership with the museum's curatorial team. Using monies in a purchase fund established by member Mrs. Ogden Armour, Dr. Goetz was able to buy from a prominent New York City dealer, a trio of delicate Meissen "Harlequins with Bagpipes" (and some other German porcelains as well). Goetz promptly wrote an article about these fanciful Harlequin figurines for the Bulletin of the Art Institute, lending the Antiquarian Society’s purchase considerable visibility. Over the years the Antiquarians have donated several objects made at the Meissen Manufactory, including pieces from members' collections. In 1998, the Society’s late members Pat and Sam Grober gave a polychrome oil or vinegar cruet, an exquisite porcelain which was subsequently pictured on the cover of MUSEUM STUDIES, in an issue published in 2002 to celebrate the Society's 125th anniversary.
Proud of our traditions! Thanking you all for helping to create this warm circle of friendship, Celia
Oil or Vinegar Cruet
c. 1737, Meissen Porcelain Manufactory, German, founded 1710, Modeled by Johann Joachim Kandler (German, 1706-1775), active at Meissen, 1731-1775), Hard-paste porcelain, polychrome enamels, and gilding
The Art Institute of Chicago, Applied Arts of Europe, Gallery 216
Credit: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Grober in honor of Ian Wardropper and Ghenete Zelleke through the Antiquarian Society, 1998
Harlequin with Bagpipes
c. 1740, Meissen Porcelain Manufactory (Manufacturer), German, founded 1710, Model by Kandler, Johann J., German 1706-1775
Hard-paste porcelain, polychrome enamels, and gilding
The Art Institute of Chicago, Applied Arts of Europe, Currently off view
Credit: Gift of the Antiquarian Society, 1941