The portrait vase of Emperor Franz I.

The Viennese Porcelain Factory is one of the oldest porcelain production plants in Europe, second only to Meissen. It was founded in 1718 near Vienna (in the town of Alsergrund). Thin-walled ceramics were valued more than gold at that time. The recipe for Meissen porcelain was kept secret. The few people (factory chemists and technologists) who knew it were called "arcane", which translates to "sorcerers". Saxon Prince Claudius du Paquier managed to lure several master porcelain makers from Meissen to Vienna and with their help, created the second porcelain manufactory in the Old World. The imperial court was interested in the development of production, which was intended to compete with Chinese porcelain and replenish the treasury. The enterprise received a monopoly on the production of "white gold" in the Habsburg territory. However, despite the powerful state support, the factory sank into debt. In the mid-1740s, it was bought out by the empress. The products differed from those of the Meissen manufactory. They were not pure white, but cream-colored, and were brightly colored with glazes. The country did not have reserves of kaolin clay, which gives a dazzling white color. From the mid-1740s to the mid-1780s, the manufactory produced small sculptures. They depicted genre domestic scenes: girls with flower bouquets, children with toys and candies. The rococo style was characteristic of the products of that time. The masters meticulously worked on the details of clothing: lace, bows on shoes, curls, and folds. They gave the characters lively poses. The products were not marked. Possibly, the manager himself was the author of the sculptural forms. Emperor Joseph II wanted to sell the unprofitable factory, but no buyer was found. He decided to find a competent manager. Conrad Sorgenthal became that person. He had already made two enterprises owned by the imperial court profitable. In addition, Sorgenthal had excellent artisticThe Viennese Porcelain Manufactory (Imperial Privileged Porcelain Factory) was a porcelain manufactory in Vienna-Alsergrund, founded in 1718 and lasted until 1864; it was the second oldest porcelain manufactory in Europe after Meissen. He made a bet on complex porcelain painting to stand out from his main competitors - Meissen and Sèvres. Artists began to create in the style of classicism, copying ancient plots. Only the best graduates of the Vienna Academy of Arts were accepted to the factory. One of them invented bright blue paint in the early 1790s. The enterprise began to bring profit. Thanks to the artist K. A. Kothgasser, elements of Biedermeier appeared in the painting of thin-walled ceramics. This style appeared in European art in the first half of the 19th century. It is considered transitional between Neoclassicism and Romanticism. The style combines the grandeur of the Empire style with the intimacy and sentimentality of Romanticism and idealism, reflecting the tastes of the new bourgeois class. Porcelain artists decorated products with landscapes, created items with monochromatic painting "under engraving" (grisaille). In the 1780s-1790s, A. Grassi was the head of the sculptural, and later the painting workshop. Under him, biscuit figures and busts began to be made. In addition to traditional mythological plots, "Pompeian" motifs appeared, reproducing paintings by famous artists of that time. Due to the Napoleonic Wars, the enterprise was on the brink of collapse. Thanks to the Vienna Congress, at which the victorious countries were present, some recovery was observed. Monarchs of foreign countries were presented with luxurious gifts made of "white gold", and they willingly visited the manufactory. But in 1864, the enterprise closed, unable to compete with cheap Czech porcelain. The traditions of the Viennese manufactory were continued by the Augarten porcelain factory, opened in 1923.