Potschappel (Germany) ceramics

The history of Potschappel pottery, Germany, dates back to the early 19th century. In 1822, Johann Gottlieb Thieme, a porcelain painter, established a porcelain painting workshop in Potschappel, a suburb of Dresden. In 1872, his son, Carl Johann Gottlieb Thieme, converted the workshop into a porcelain factory, which he named Sächsische Porzellanfabrik zu Potschappel (Dresden) von Carl Thieme.

The factory quickly gained a reputation for its high-quality porcelain figurines, tableware, and other decorative objects. Thieme's porcelain was known for its delicate craftsmanship, elegant designs, and vibrant colors. The factory also produced a wide range of items in the Rococo style, which was popular at the time.

In the late 19th century, the Potschappel factory became one of the leading porcelain manufacturers in Germany. Its products were exported all over the world, and the factory employed hundreds of workers.

Carl Thieme died in 1888. The business was taken over more... in 1896 by his talented son in law, Karl August Kuntsch, a modeler who started a tradition of flower decorations traditional for Dresden style porcelain items. He died in 1920. His widow and two sons (Carl August and Emil Alfred) took over running the company.

However, the factory was forced to close during World War I. It reopened in 1921, but it never fully recovered from the war. The factory was nationalized by the East German government in 1948 and operated as a Volkseigener Betrieb (VEB) until 1990.

After the reunification of Germany in 1990, the factory was privatized and renamed Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen GmbH Potschappel. The factory continued to produce high-quality porcelain, but it struggled to compete with imports from China and other countries. In 2008, the factory was forced to close again.

In 2010, a group of investors reopened the factory under the name Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Dresden GmbH. The factory now produces a limited range of porcelain products, including figurines, tableware, and giftware.

Potschappel pottery is prized by collectors for its beauty, craftsmanship, and historical significance. Many museums around the world have collections of Potschappel porcelain. less...