| Among the most valuable items of porcellain in the Princely Collections are two splendid decorative plaques (Pendant PO 2080) made in 1838 by Joseph Nigg, recently acquired from a private collection. Nigg was probably the most important porcelain painter then active in Vienna. His work constituted the simultaneous continuation and adaptation of Dutch floral still-life painting, which in Vienna had been taken up by Waldmüller and others. These plaques are also among the most technically brilliant pieces of porcelain to be produced in Vienna. They were especially favoured as gifts in diplomatic circles and they found their way into the art collections of the time. The fact that there was a special class for instruction in flower painting at the Viennese porcelain factory testifies to the importance that this genre assumed, especially in the Biedermeier Era. Pupils seeking to practise this discipline had to draw from nature. Mastery was deemed to consist not only in perfecting the purely technical skills required to fire such large items, but also in achieving refinement in the nuances of colour. |
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