Meissen 58-Piece Hand-Painted Floral Coffee Service c.1900 - Signed Numbered Gilt

Spectacular Meissen 58-Piece Hand-Painted Floral Porcelain Coffee Service c.1900

An extraordinary and museum-quality Meissen porcelain coffee service comprising 58 pieces, each hand-painted with exquisite floral decoration and enriched with gold staffage. Signed with the iconic crossed swords mark, dated, and numbered, this magnificent service represents German porcelain craftsmanship at its absolute finest. This is a once-in-a-lifetime acquisition opportunity for serious collectors of Meissen and fine European porcelain.

Meissen - The Pinnacle of European Porcelain

Meissen holds the distinction of being Europe's first porcelain manufactory, established in 1710 after alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger discovered the secret of hard-paste porcelain. For over three centuries, Meissen has represented the absolute pinnacle of European ceramic art, with its crossed swords mark recognized worldwide as a symbol of uncompromising quality, artistic excellence, and investment value. Meissen pieces from the turn of the 20th century, when this service was created, represent a golden age of technical perfection and decorative sophistication.

The Complete 58-Piece Service Includes

This comprehensive service provides everything needed for elegant coffee service and entertaining: 1 coffee pot (23.5 cm height), 1 milk jug, 1 sugar bowl, 12 coffee cups with 12 matching saucers, 12 cake plates, 1 cake bowl (28 cm diameter), 1 small centerpiece, 1 four-sided tray, 1 oval basket bowl, 1 pastry plate, 6 small bowls, 5 vases in different models, 1 candlestick, 1 ashtray, and 1 coaster. The completeness of this service dramatically enhances its value - finding intact multi-piece Meissen services of this scale and quality is increasingly rare.

Hand-Painted Floral Decoration

Each piece features meticulously hand-painted floral decoration executed by Meissen's master decorators. The naturalistic flowers, rendered with botanical accuracy and artistic sensitivity, showcase the extraordinary skill required to paint on curved porcelain surfaces. The subtle color gradations, delicate brushwork, and harmonious compositions demonstrate why Meissen's decorators were considered the finest in Europe. Every flower, leaf, and stem was painted freehand, making each piece unique while maintaining perfect stylistic unity across the entire service.

Gold Staffage and Gilt Enrichment

The service is enriched with gold staffage - decorative gold elements that frame and enhance the floral painting. This gold decoration, applied by hand and fired at high temperature to achieve permanent brilliance, adds luxury and visual richness while demonstrating Meissen's mastery of precious metal application. The gold remains bright and intact, testament to both original quality and careful preservation. Gold-enriched Meissen pieces command significant premiums in the collector market.

Crossed Swords Mark, Dating, and Numbering

Every piece bears Meissen's iconic underglaze blue crossed swords mark, the most famous porcelain mark in the world. Additionally, pieces are marked with year marks, model numbers, painter's numbers, and pressed marks - comprehensive documentation that allows precise dating and authentication. This level of marking is characteristic of Meissen's meticulous quality control and provides collectors with complete provenance information. The marks confirm this service dates to approximately 1900, placing it at the height of Meissen's Belle Époque production.

Condition - Like New

Remarkably, this 58-piece service remains in used but like-new condition - an extraordinary achievement for porcelain over 120 years old. There are no chips, cracks, repairs, or significant wear. The hand-painted decoration retains its original brilliance, the gold staffage shows no wear, and the porcelain bodies remain pristine white. This exceptional preservation dramatically enhances both aesthetic appeal and investment value, as condition is paramount in porcelain collecting. Finding complete Meissen services in this condition is exceptionally rare.

Technical Excellence

Meissen's hard-paste porcelain represents the technical pinnacle of ceramic achievement. The pure white body, translucent quality, resonant ring when tapped, and flawless glazing demonstrate complete mastery of porcelain chemistry and firing techniques. Each piece was individually thrown, turned, and finished by hand, then decorated and fired multiple times to achieve the final result. The consistency of quality across 58 pieces showcases Meissen's extraordinary production standards.

Investment Value and Market Position

Complete Meissen services of this scale, quality, and condition represent exceptional investment opportunities. Meissen porcelain has shown consistent appreciation for decades, with major services achieving significant prices at international auctions. This service's combination of completeness (58 pieces), excellent condition, comprehensive marking, gold enrichment, and turn-of-century date positions it as a museum-quality acquisition. The rarity of finding intact services of this caliber cannot be overstated.

Historical and Cultural Significance

This service embodies the Belle Époque era's aesthetic values - refinement, luxury, attention to detail, and the elevation of daily rituals like coffee service into art forms. It represents a vanished world of formal entertaining, domestic elegance, and the appreciation of beautiful objects in everyday life. For collectors of European decorative arts, this service offers tangible connection to this fascinating historical period.

Collecting Context

This service appeals to multiple collecting categories: Meissen specialists, European porcelain collectors, decorative arts enthusiasts, and those furnishing period interiors. It would enhance private collections, corporate holdings, institutional acquisitions, or luxury hospitality settings. The service's museum quality, historical significance, and aesthetic power make it suitable for the most discerning collections.

Display and Use

While this service could certainly be used for its original purpose, most collectors of this caliber choose to display such pieces in illuminated cabinets or vitrines where their beauty can be appreciated without risk. The service's scale allows for impressive display arrangements, and the variety of forms creates visual interest. Some collectors rotate pieces for seasonal display while keeping the complete service together.

Documentation and Authentication

Comprehensive documentation available including mark analysis, dating research, condition reports, comparative examples, and insurance valuation. The extensive marking on each piece provides complete authentication and provenance information. Professional appraisal and insurance documentation can be arranged for serious collectors.

Available for viewing by appointment at Artemisia Fine Arts & Antiques Ltd, Malta's premier gallery for museum-quality European porcelain and decorative arts. We provide expert consultation, authentication services, insurance valuation, and international shipping with specialized porcelain handlers. This is a once-in-a-lifetime acquisition opportunity. Serious inquiries from qualified collectors and institutions welcome.