118 Though the Kingdom of Saxony made every effort to steer clear of France’s belligerent dealings with the remaining European States for a good many years, it did eventually have to commit itself one way or the other. It first fought alongside Prussia against France, a war that was lost, leading to a peace treaty under which Saxony was compelled by the French to join the Confederation of the Rhine. Then, as France’s ally, Saxony shared that country’s heavy losses in the Russian campaign and had to surrender almost half its territory to Prussia. Various wars that were fought led to key markets such as those with Turkey or Russia falling into limbo, with dire consequences for a Manufactory that had focused far too greatly hitherto on servicing these two major national clients. Russia ordered huge quantities at the Leipzig Fair from 1796 onwards: “Coffee and tea services glazed yellowish and brown [i.e. with gilt enamels] and at the same time painted in blue, preferably cups, additionally floral patterns and, although in comparably lower quantities, plates decorated in brown”.2 Trade with Turkey was likewise at an all-time high in around 1787. Despite its then being brought to a virtual standstill by the travails of war, Russia was able to compensate for the losses incurred in this case. The Meissen Manufactory’s takings fell by more than half, however, after Russia invoked a ban on the importation of all foreign porcelains in 1806. Competition from cheaper foreign, factory-produced wares only served to compound the issue, moreover. The then Director Camillo Count Marcolini (1739 –1814) failed to pay serious attention to rival products thrusting their way onto the market from, for instance, France in regard either to how much they cost or to how artistically innovative they were. He likewise failed to register the many technical achievements being made at the time. The manufactory system had exhausted its productive potential by the turn of the century. In the interests of cost-effectiveness, the highly-skilled, finely-detailed system of working should have made way, to an extent at least, for technical, machine-based progress. Instead, Marcolini sought to cut costs by reducing workforce numbers and confining output to a clutch of tried and tested products. He continued production for the Russian and Turkish markets without clear knowledge of whether these porcelains would ever be sold. His management policies resulted in the Manufactory being shut down briefly in 1814, the year he resigned.3 Table porcelains from the “Marcolini era” stand out by dint of their simplified styling. As little relief-moulded decoration as possible was
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