Blue Field Reticulated Lunch Plate

Not all blue crossed swords marks are Meissen.

The Meissen Blue Crossed Swords and Augustus Rex marks.

	1723-1725 -- Original kpm mark with blue crossed swords beneath.		1825-1924 -- blue crossed swords mark with curved handles
	1725-1732 -- Original blue crossed swords mark with curved crosspieces and handles.		1924-1934 -- blue crossed swords mark with dot between top of blades.
	1732-1773 -- Dot period blue crossed swords mark with dot between crosspieces.		1945-1947 -- blue crossed swords mark with crescent below.
	1773-1814 -- Marcolini period blue crossed swords mark with asterix below or between crosspieces.		1947-1973 -- blue crossed swords mark with straight crosspieces.
	1814-1824 -- blue crossed swords mark with straight hilts and vertical bar below		1974 -- blue crossed swords mark with meissen name in logotype script below.

Samples of actual meissen marks. You should remember that the marks are drawn by hand and that slight variations in the format occur and the mark only supports the source. The true test of an antique meissen piece is always the overall quality of the piece and the quality of the decoration :

Meissen incised marks, rather than underglaze, used on biscuit porcelain and white glazed porcelain:

	1774-1814 -- incised mark on biscuit porcelain.		1900 -- incised mark on white glazed porcelain.
	1814 -- incised mark on biscuit porcelain.		.

Anspach (Germany - Nassau)

Founded c1860 - Used From: 1860 onwards

Arnstadt (Germany - Thuringia)

Founded in 1790 - Used From: 1790 onwards - A small factory in production for a very short time.

Berlin (Germany - Prussia)

Founded in 1751 - By: Wilhelm Caspar Wegely
Used From: 1751-1757

The Wegely factory (Manufacture de Porcelaine de Berlin) produced mainly figurines in the Meissen and Vienna style. Wegely was forced to close his factory in 1757 due to financial problems.

Bristol (England - Gloucester)

Founded in 1770 - By William Cookworthy - Richard Champion
Used From: 1772-1782

William Cookworthy set up a porcelain factory at Plymouth in 1768, which he moved to Bristol around 1770. In 1772 he sold his patent to make porcelain to Richard Champion, who then sold it due to financial problems; to a consortium of Staffordshire potteries in 1782. The factory in Bristol was closed not long after.

Bristol (England - Gloucester)

Founded in 1749 - By: William Miller and Benjamin Lund
Used From: 1749-1752

Already operating as a glass making company in 1749 when they began manufacturing soft-paste porcelain.

In 1752 William Lund sold the porcelain department to the Worcester factory.

Buschbad (Germany)

Founded in 1886 - By: L. Schleich
Period: 1886 - ca. 1927

Produced mainly household porcelain, with some decorative wares. Factory closed in 1927.

Caughley (England - Shropshire)

Founded in 1755 - By: Gallimore - Thomas Turner
Used From: 1772-1799

Thomas Turner, a porcelain-painter from Worcester married the daughter of Gallimore and introduced soft-paste porcelain to the production around 1772.

In 1799 the factory was bought by John Rose, the owner of the Coalport factory. Rose transferred production and used factory as a warehouse.

Factory closed in 1814.

Charlottenbrunn (Germany - Silesia)

Founded in 1859 - By: Joseph Schachtel
Used From: ca. 1866

The Charlottenbrunn factory specialised in the production of porcelain pipes. WIth some general household porcelain and a few decorative wares.

Factory closed in 1920.

Chelsea (England - London)

Founded in 1743 - By: Charles Gouyn - Nicholas Sprimont
Used From: 1755-1758

The first English porcelain factory. Nicholas Sprimont, sole owner from 1749 put the factory up for sale in 1763 due to illness. In 1769 it was purchased by James Cox, who resold it in 1770 to William Duesbury, the owner of the Derby factory.

Both companies merged afterwards (Chelsea-Derby period).

Choisy-le-Roy (France - Seine)

Founded in 1786 - By: M. Clément
Used From: 1786 - 1886

In 1886, after an official complaint by Meissen: Choisy-le-Roy was forbidden to make further use of the crossed swords mark.

Derby (England - Derbyshire)

Founded in 1756 - By Planché, John Heath and William Duesbury
Used From: Last quarter of the 18^th century

The first factory was set up in 1745 by Thomas Briand and James Marchand, but lasted for only a short period. The second attempt, by William Duesbury in 1756, was more succesful: the Derby factory is still operational today.

Its products were advertised using the slogan "Derby the second Dresden", directly relating it to Meissen and high quality porcelain.

In 1784 - Derby merged with the Chelsea factory.

Dresden (Germany - Saxony)

Founded at the end of the 19^th century - By Meyers.
Used From: End of the 19^th century

This was not a porcelain factory but a company and eventually a selection of companies and decorators who decorated porcelain in the Meissen style.

Dresden (Germany - Saxony)

Founded in 1894 - By Franziska Hirsch
Used from: 1894 - 1896

In 1894 Franziska Hirsch founded a painting studio located in Struwestrasse 19 where porcelain was decorated in the Meissen style.

In 1896 the Meissen factory submitted an official complaint against Hirsch for the imitation of their patented factory mark. The complaint was upheld and Hirsch was forbidden any further use of the mark.