The publication of the Said and Roswitha Marouf Collection focuses the viewer's eye on the magnificent art works of the Meissen porcelain manufactory, which in 2010, on the occasion of its 300th anniversary, will celebrate the multifarious artistic wealth of the first European manufactory for porcelain. This book is not about the history of Meissen porcelain in the eighteenth century, which has been examined in numerous publications, but is rather a feast for the senses. The collection documented here provides a representative survey of the early creative period of the Meissen manufactory, especially in the area of painting, with outstanding works of art by Johann Gregorius Horoldt and his workshop. Also the small sculptural work of Johann Joachim Kaendler and co-workers is presented in detail. The diversity of the porcelain items, chosen with care and collector's passion, is reflected in the some 500 reproductions - including numerous large-format reproductions - of the nearly 200 art works. In the clear commentaries and in magnificent reproductions - including many details - the individual characteristics and distinctive features of these works are vividly presented.
Since 1994 the author, Dr. Ulrich Pietsch, has been director of the Porcelain Collection of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, the world's largest collection of Meissen porcelain of the eighteenth century.