Many people's family possessions include a piece of Meissen, think of heirlooms like services with scattered flowers and onion patterns. However, Meissen, like other porcelain manufacturers, has had to adapt because the days of the classic service are over. Mugs and bowls have taken their place. And a very important trend in Germany is white porcelain. Recently, the Sächsische Porzellan Manufaktur was in the media because it announced that it was back in the black as of this year. A brand expansion into fashion, accessories and interiors that started about 12 years ago was reversed after a few years because it got the company into financial difficulties. Since then, Meissen has once again concentrated on its core competence.

The House of Meissen and its special relationship with Düsseldorf

Meissen also has a special relationship with Düsseldorf. This is where the German Porcelain Museum Hetjens is located and where many Meissen exhibitions take place. When Meissen exhibits objects for its collector clientele reproduced, one searches all over the world and often finds what one is looking for in the Hetjens Museum, as was recently the case with a Kirchner fountain from the 18th century.

The business relationship with the over 100-year-old Franzen gift house on Königsallee is also stored in the Meissen archives. 

27. August 2023

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Interview Directory 

ART

Name: Liane Werner

Residence: Meißen 

Occupation: Art Director Staaliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen

"At Meissen, we always aim to bring historical Meissen objects back to life."

The magazine is based in Düsseldorf. Can you tell us how the cooperation with the Hetjens Museum came about?

At Meissen, we always aim to bring historical Meissen objects back to life. Sometimes, unfortunately, we can no longer find a shape in our own mould archive. After research, we wanted to re-produce a historical fountain after Kirchner at the beginning of the 18th century, which no longer exists in our archives, and present it to the collector public. I saw it in the museum in New York, but fortunately the Hetjens Museum also has an original Kirchner fountain. I contacted the Hetjens and we were allowed to scan, measure and photograph the piece on site. When we had the first moulds, we were allowed to compare it on site. The museum was open and very supportive.

The history of Meissen here in Düsseldorf is also connected with the Franzen gift and porcelain house.

The business relationship is over 100 years old, as long as the location on the Kö. An invoice from 1911 proves this, showing Franzen as a partner of the Königlich-Sächsische Porzellanniederlassung. Hermann Franzen was the chairman of the Verband Glas Keramik for many years and he worked very closely with the manufactory. It's a very prominent house and our range there is huge. It is a flagship for us, also in Germany.

For a while Franzen had a Meissen boutique with interiors, fashion and lifestyle.

We had the ambition to expand into other business areas. In this context, Franzen completely redesigned one floor. After we parted company with Managing Director Dr Kurztke again and put everything to the test, we went back to our core product, porcelain. That is what we are known for and that is what sets us apart.

"The days of buying a typical coffee set are over."

I have seen your figures and in retrospect it seems to have been a good decision.

In recent years, we have put a lot of effort into rejuvenating the brand. The brand used to be remembered as the scattered flower, onion pattern and what grandma has in her cupboard. Now we have created new tabletop products to appeal to a new, younger target group, with success. Sometimes even the negative has something good. We were able to use the Corona period to relaunch our website. Having our own sales portal helped us a lot in Corona and it also has an impact. A bestseller is the so-called Mug Collection, of which we launch a new collection every year. The days of buying a typical coffee set are over. We have cooperations with tea, wine and champagne producers. Especially in Germany, there is a trend towards white tableware, like our Wellenspiel, Cosmopolitan, Vitruv, Novar. We are much more flexible and faster because we concentrate on the core product, porcelain. But we still have many collectors who appreciate the typical 18th century baroque, or the hand-painted, flower scenes, animals and landscapes. Or one can place individual orders. The jewellery line has remained in the assortment, where there are no pure gold objects, but there is always a piece of Meissen.

"The luminosity of our colours is unique. We are the only ones who produce the colours ourselves in our in-house laboratory and have a gigantic variety of colour formulations."

Can you describe the essence of Meissen to the readers?

The diversity and range. We've been around for over 300 years and are able to reproduce, so everyone can find something to suit a taste, whether it's Baroque, Art Deco or contemporary. The excellent quality, of course, but above all the colours. The luminosity of our colours is unique. We are the only ones who produce the colours ourselves in our own laboratory and have a gigantic variety of colour formulations.

May I ask how your career at Meissen began?

I have been at the manufactory for 37 years, which is actually typical. Once you've done your apprenticeship here, you stay with Meissen for life. A length of service of 25 to 40 years is not unusual. I studied foreign trade in Berlin in GDR times. At Meissen, I joined the export department and, especially in the last 10 years, I was intensively involved in the Asian markets. In this way, I also began to take care of product development in the area of art objects, high-quality art objects and figurines.



Albrechtsburg Castle on the Burgberg in Meissen