Footnotes

Provenance:
The Collection of the Margraves and Grand Dukes of Baden, sold Sotheby's Baden-Baden, 5-12 October 1995, lot 1271 (part)

Literature:
Karl Koelitz, Beschreibendes Inventar der Allerhöchsten Privatsammlung kuntgewerblicher Gegenstände (Zähringer Museum), unpublished manuscript, Karlsruhe (1883), nos. 2041-2055;
Richter, Inventar des Zähringer Museums, unpublished manuscript, Baden-Baden (1919), nos. 2239-2253;
Claus Boltz, Die wöchentlichen Berichte über die Tätigkeit der Meissner Dreher und Former vom 6. Juni 1722 bis 31. Dezember 1728, in Keramos 178 (2002), ill. 104

Exhibited:
Karlsruhe, Zähringer Museum (Private Collection of Grand Duke Friedrich I of Baden, exhibited in the rooms of the former Grand Ducal Naturalia Cabinet in the Residenzschloss), 1879-1919;
Baden-Baden, Zähringer Museum, Neues Schloss, c. 1960-1990

George Funcke is recorded as a supplier to the manufactory (based in Dresden) of porcelain decoration in gold, silver and muffle-kiln colours from 13th May 1713. An unsigned note in the manufactory archive of 6 June 1719 records that "George Funcke, Goldarbeiter hat in der Königl.und Churfl.Porcellain Factur. Sechs Jahr daß Porcellain gemahlet mit allerhand bunten farben und auch Solches in Feuer gebrant auch Gold und Silber auf daß Porcellain zu bringen sich beflißen..." [George Funcke, goldsmith, has painted porcelain with all sorts of colours and fired them for six years (ie. since 1713) and has also brought silver and gold on the porcelain] (quoted by R. Rückert, Biographische Daten der Meißener Manufakturisten des 18. Jahrhunderts (1990), p. 147). On 6 March 1722, Georg Funcke reported that "iezo emaillirte er Gold und Silber untereinander" [now he can enamel gold and silver together] (quoted by C. Boltz, op. cit, p. 45). One of the teabowls and saucers from this service is now the Arnhold Collection, New York (M. Cassidy-Geiger, The Arnhold Collection of Meissen Porcelain 1710-50, no. 66); another was offered in these Rooms from the Hoffmeister Collection, Hamburg, 24 November 2010, lot 2.

Ownership of the service

The service sold from the collections of the Margraves and Grand Dukes of Baden (see above Provenance) - the only recorded example of this decoration - comprised six teabowls and saucers, an octagonal sugar box and cover, a waste bowl and this teapot and cover. It almost certainly belonged to the extensive porcelain collection of the Margravine Karoline Luise of Baden (1723-83), much of the early Meissen porcelain and stoneware of which came from the important earlier collections of the Margravines Sybilla Augusta of Baden-Baden (1675-1733) and Magdalena Wilhelmina of Baden-Durlach (1677-1742).

The service may correspond to an entry in the 1733 inventory of the property of the Margravine Katharina Barbara of Baden-Durlach (1650-1733) in the Generallandesarchiv in Karlsruhe, which records in the Audience Room, "In einem oval-eckigten Kistlen, von schwarz Leder bezogen, und mößigen Beschläg, innwendig grün Tuch mit Bördeln befand sich: Ein SpühlCumpen/ Eine Theekanne mit einem Ketteln/ Eine ZuckerBüchße mit einem Deckel/ Ein Halb Dutzet Thée Schaalen samt Bercherl/ Not. Diese Garnitur ist gleichfalls Dresdener Porcellain, ganz weiß und mit gold eingebrannt" [In a canted oval box, covered in black leather, and brass mounts, green lining with border inside, there is a waste bowl, a teapot with a chain, a sugar box with a cover, half a dozen teabowls with saucers. Note: this garniture is also Dresden porcelain, completely white and fired with gold] (Katharina Barbara (Baden-Durlach) 7 f Verlassenschaft 1733 (GLA 46/5746), with thanks to Andrea Huber for the reference). The Margravine Katharina Barbara of Baden-Durlach was unmarried and left this porcelain set to the Margravine Magdalena Wilhelmina, the wife of her nephew, the reigning Margrave Karl III. Wilhelm of Baden-Durlach. Margravine Magdalena Wilhelmina (1677-1742) owned a substantial porcelain collection, that included Asian, early Meissen, Du Paquier and early French porcelain, which was eventually given by her grandson, Margrave Karl Friedrich of Baden-Durlach, to his wife, Margravine Karoline Luise.