Meissen Marks

Antique Meissen Marks and the blue crossed swords mark imitators.

Not all blue crossed swords marks are genuine Meissen marks.

Knowing what to look for and the dates that are relevant to each Meissen mark can help you avoid buying imitation Meissen porcelain.

You should remember that the marks detailed below are mostly drawn by hand and that slight variations in the format occur and the mark only supports the source and doesn't testify to it.

The true test of an antique Meissen porcelain piece is always the overall quality of the object and the quality of the decoration.

The Meissen Blue Crossed Swords and Augustus Rex marks.

1723-1725 -- Original kpm mark with blue crossed swords beneath.	1825-1924 -- blue crossed swords mark with curved handles
1725-1732 -- Original blue crossed swords mark with curved crosspieces and handles.	1924-1934 -- blue crossed swords mark with dot between top of blades.
1732-1773 -- Dot period blue crossed swords mark with dot between crosspieces.	1945-1947 -- blue crossed swords mark with crescent below.
1773-1814 -- Marcolini period blue crossed swords mark with asterix below or between crosspieces.	1947-1973 -- blue crossed swords mark with straight crosspieces.
1814-1824 -- blue crossed swords mark with straight hilts and vertical bar below	1974 -- blue crossed swords mark with meissen name in logotype script below.

Meissen incised marks, rather than underglaze, used on biscuit porcelain and white glazed porcelain:

1774-1814 -- incised mark on biscuit porcelain.	1900 -- incised mark on white glazed porcelain.	1814 -- incised mark on biscuit porcelain.

 

Samples of actual meissen marks ...

[hr style="solid|dash|dot"]

The Meissen Augustus Rex Mark.

The augustus rex mark or monogram (AR) was introduced by Meissen in the first half of the 18th century when the crossed swords were introduced.

The Meissen AR monogram was a special mark reserved for objects used by the court of Elector August the Strong, founder of the Meissen factory and later reigning monarch of Poland, King August II.

It was also added to pieces produced for the court of his son, August III, who succeeded him in 1733.

All court pieces were marked with the AR monogram, and occasionally the mark was added to gifts produced for royal visitors.

The mark was always applied by hand, in underglaze blue, and some variations exist.

However pieces marked with the AR monogram were produced in the very early days of the meissen factory and are mostly decorated with oriental motifs, in the Bottger chinoiserie or the kakiemon style.

It goes without saying that surviving pieces are very rare and very expensive and that there are almost none available on the open market. Most if not all of the existing pieces are part of Royal or museum collections.

You do see AR marked porcelain for sale at auctions on internet auction sites and at fairs and markets

And buyers should be aware that they are probably all imitations, most having been produced in the second half of the 19th century.

Most imitations will be colourful and completely different in style from the original early 18th century meissen pieces.

In the 1880's Meissen did take legal steps and attempt to stop the imitations (as they have also done with their crossed swords mark), but as with today's modern market, the general public are quite willing to accept imitations at the right price and the copies continue to be produced throughout europe.

Read on for a selection of the imitators, including the almost perfect and very popular imitator, Helena Wolfsohn.

The Meissen blue crossed sword mark imitators.

[hr style="solid|dash|dot"]

The Meissen Augustus Rex mark imitators.

The Augustus Rex monogram (AR) was introduced by Meissen in the first half of the 18th century and other manufacturers quickly saw the advantage of including a pseudo AR mark on their own porcelain wares.

The list below details the best of these and includes English and European makers marks.

Helena Wolfsohn - Dresden (Germany - Saxony)

Founded in 1843 by Helena Wolfsohn
Used: c1880s

Helena Wolfsohn wasn't a porcelain manufacturer but rather a painting studio that decorated externally bought porcelain.

However, the AR monogram on early wares is often under the glaze and it's safe to assume pieces were ordered with the mark applied before firing. The Wolfsohn mark is one of the best examples of the Augustus Rex mark you will find.

---

Bauscher Brothers - Weiden (Germany - Pfaltz)

Founded in 1881 by the Bauscher Brothers
Used : c1882

The Bauscher Brothers founded their Porcelain factory in 1881 producing table wares for railroad and shipping companies. In 1927 the company was taken over by the Lorenz Hutschenreuter AG from Selb. The mark shown was registered in the RWZR (Weiden district) on the 7th of November 1882 and is actually 'AB' and not 'AR' but the style is intended to mirror the Augustus Rex mark.

---

Blot - Mehun-sur-Yèvre (France)

Founded in 1920 by Albert Blot
Used from: 1930 - 1941

Although this is clearly a monogram depicting "AB" (after the founder), it cannot be denied that the style is clearly influenced by the Augustus Rex monogram of the Meissen factory. The factory of Albert Blot started already as a quite large company and employed more than 100 workers. The factory did not produce real art porcelain but was more focussed on table wares.

---

Boussomaert - Arras (France)

Founded in 1770 by Joseph François Boussomaert
Used from: 1770 - 1790

The Arras porcelain factory was founded in 1770 by Joseph François Boussomaert under the protection of M. de Calonne, the governor of Flanders and Artois. However, the Arras factory only produced soft paste porcelain which was painted in the style of the Tournai and Chantilly factories.

The factory was closed in 1790.

---

Anton Richter - Dresden (Germany - Saxony)

Founded in 1887 by : Anton Richter
Used: from 1887

Anton Richter did not manufacture porcelain and the speciality of the studio was decorating porcelain in the Vienna and Meissen styles. Richters studio of Richter did win the Dresden silver medal award for porcelain decoration in 1891 and in 1896. The 'AR' was probably used to add credibility and as it matched Richters initials.

Hutschenreuther - Hohenberg (Germany - Hohenberg)

Founded in 1822 by Carl Magnus Hutschenreuther
Used : c1882

Set up by Carl Magnus Hutschenreuther, a porcelain painter who once worked at the Wallendorf factory. The mark is actually 'HR' and not 'AR' however the form displays a clear intention to fool the uneducated buyer. The "Porzellanfabrik C.M. Hutschenreuter is still one of the biggest porcelain factories in Germany.

Tinelli - Milano (Italy)

Founded in 1833 by Luigi Tinelli
Used : c1850

Originally Tinelli imitated wares from the Wedgwood factory and marked them with his own mark. In 1841 the factory was taken over by his brother Carlo Tinelli and Giulio Richard, then in 1870 Giulio Richard gained full control and in 1873 renamed it to "Società Ceramica Richard". The mark would never fool a knowledgeable collector but is clearly designed to imitate the Augustus Rex Mark.