Böttger Stoneware Johann Friedrich Bö̈ttger and Treasury Art

Red Porcelain, 1709 made ready for production by Johann Friedrich Boettger and universally known as Boettger red stoneware, represented the most elegant ceramics in Europe before experimentation led to rediscovery in Europe of the coveted white hard-paste porcelain, also known as Meissen Porcelain. Finished by the application of sophisticated techniques, Boettger red stoneware soon ranked high in favor with princes, of whom ostentation was expected. Combined with ruby glass, silver, gold and precious stones, it also entered the exalted sphere of the court treasury. Beginning with the universal 'alchemist' Boettger himself, the present publication provides an overview of the ways artisans dealt creatively with this hard material, how models were drawn from goldsmiths' art and what role was played by Boettger red stoneware in the Baroque treasury of Augustus the Strong. Essays reveal that exquisitely finished Boettger stoneware also set trends in court art.