Application example: Original Meißen Porcelain – are you sure?

In the early 18th century, Asian porcelain was very much en vogue in Europe. The Saxon elector August II appreciated in particular the products of the Sakaida Kakiemon manufacture in Arita, Japan. As the import of these objects to Saxony from Japan via the Netherlands was very costly, the Meißen porcelain manufacture produced replica for the elector’s court. One such vase with lid in the Kakiemon style produced between 1725 and 1735 by the Meißen manufacture has now raised some doubts: To the art historic investigator, the lid does not match the shape, painting and glaze of the vase body quite convincingly. Maybe the original has been replaced?

An investigation with the ion beam analysis method of PIXE (proton-induced X-ray emission) provides valuable insights here: This method yields the elemental composition of different parts of an object in a non-destructive way. In the case of the Meißen vase with lid, the compositions of the porcelain mass, the glaze, and the paint pigments in the lid are compared with those of the previously authenticated vase body and other verified reference objects. It turned out that:

The porcelain mass of the vase body is typical Meißen hard porcelain with a lower content of silicon oxide SiO2 and a higher content of aluminium oxide Al2O3. The composition of the lid, however, resembles that of soft paste china from other manufactures, with a higher SiO2 content and a lower Al2O3 content. The composition of the glaze on the lid matches that of the vase body and other products of the Meißen manufacture, but differs from that of other manufactures. The colors of the paintings on the vase body and lid match very well optically. However, they differ clearly in the chemical composition of the applied pigments. Chromium oxide green was used for the lid; this pigment was first produced in 1809.

In conclusion, the lid is indeed a later replacement for the lost or damaged original. It was possibly formed and burnt elsewhere and then painted and glazed in Meißen. By identifying the applied pigments, the production of the replacement lid can be dated to sometime after 1809. Ion beam analysis has complemented the art historic authenticity check with decisive information on material composition in this project.

• C. Neelmeijer and R. Roscher, Gehört der Deckel zur Vase?
  Restauro 4/2015