A collection of rare Asian and European porcelain with royal roots travels to San Francisco for display at the Legion of Honor. A Princely Pursuit will present approximately 100 significant pieces of early Meissen porcelain from the collection of Malcolm D. Gutter, all promised gifts to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Founded in 1710 near Dresden, Germany, the Meissen manufactory was the first in Europe to produce hard-paste porcelain imitating Chinese and Japanese ceramics that the Dutch East India Company was importing at this time. East Asian porcelain techniques had been unknown in Europe until 1709, when the chemist Johann Friedrich Böttger revealed the formula for creating hard-paste porcelain, often referred to as “white gold.” Böttger’s discovery prompted Augustus II “the Strong,” elector of Saxony and king of Poland, to establish the royal Saxon porcelain manufactory at Meissen, where, more than 300 years later, it is still in operation.

Gutter has been forming his stunning porcelain collection over the past several decades and has focused on Meissen, particularly the royal collection that Augustus II commissioned for the Japanisches Palais (Japanese Palace), his pleasure palace in Dresden. In addition to porcelain produced at Meissen, Augustus II collected works imported from China and Japan. From 1717 until his death, in 1733, Augustus amassed an impressive selection of more than 40,000 porcelain objects for his personal collection and for the Japanisches Palais. A Princely Pursuit will display many documented pieces from this royal collection, including both Meissen and Asian works.

Come see this exclusive decorative arts exhibition, and enjoy the magnificent range of early Meissen wares from the Malcolm D. Gutter Collection, on display exclusively at the Legion of Honor.