64 German Manufacturers –→ Table of Contents ■■ 1829 Lithophane production developed into a profitable business relatively quickly, particularly as Meissen was undercutting the prices of its competitors KPM Berlin and AdT Paris by as much as one third. The large proportion of lithophane products exported to North America played an especially important role in the profitability of this business segment. On October 30th, Johann Gottfried Uhlmann, factor (manager) of the manufactory’s branch in Leipzig, made the following announcement: “Lithophane plaques, especially the larger types, Meissen had no competition; neither the Berlin nor the French factories had sent any of them, owing to their significantly higher prices. In spite of the high customs duties, approx. 400 of these plaques were sent to Berlin and Potsdam. It would be advantageous to produce a few new motifs prior to the Christmas market.”114 3 Object: rectangular lithophane plaque, brown, wooden Biedermeier-style stand Dimensions: c. 16.7 × 21.3 cm (6 9⁄16 × 8 ⅜ in.), height of stand 47.0 cm (18 ½ in.) Material: biscuit, white, wide margin, slightly brownish, cloudy body in transmitted light, entire plaque is warped, bowed edges, motif bulges out towards the back Motif: Bivouac Markings: incised plaque number 24, no molder’s number Source: Collection “S” Wuppertal → Fig. p. 64 4 Object: rectangular lithophane plaque with a 1.0 cm (⅜ in.) margin, mounted in stand made from Berlin cast iron Dimensions: 16.0 × 11.9 cm (6 5⁄16 × 4 11⁄16 in.), stand with adjustable height from 49.0 cm (19 ¼ in.) Material: biscuit, white, warped during firing as a result of the uneven thickness of the material Motif: Gothisches Gebäude in Mondschein (Gothic Building in Moonlight) Markings: on front, impressed plaque number 28 in the center of the wide, lower margin; on back, incised plaque number 28 in the lower left corner, small impressed molder’s number 60 in lower right corner Source: Collection “S” Wuppertal Information: The image was apparently made from the touchedup mold of a French AdT plaque. There are several reasons to assume this piece was a copy: it is smaller than the AdT original, the edges—which are cut slightly towards the back—are indicative of a production technique not typical of Meissen, and 2 Lithophane Meissen (16) · Johannes, rund, groß (Saint John, round, large) · diameter 18.6 cm (7 5⁄16 in.) · FE 1828/29 (Collection “S” Wuppertal) 3 Lithophane stand · height 47.0 cm (18 ½ in.) · lithophane Meissen 24 Bivouac · 16.7 × 21.3 cm (6 9⁄16 × 8 3⁄8 in.) · FE 1829 (Collection “S” Wuppertal)
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