Tradition in the heart of Vienna
Since 1718, "white gold" has been produced in the heart of Vienna—to this day using traditional methods.
Since 1718, "white gold" has been produced in the heart of Vienna—to this day using traditional methods.
In May 1718, an imperial privilege laid the foundation for an extraordinary success story: Charles VI granted Claudius Innocentius du Paquier the exclusive right to produce porcelain in Austria and the crown lands for 25 years. This marked the beginning of the second-oldest porcelain manufactory in Europe, right in the heart of Vienna. To this day, the Porzellangasse in Vienna's 9th district recalls the original location of the manufactory. Despite economic challenges, the company flourished artistically to the highest degree—porcelain from this early period remains sought after worldwide to this day.
In 1744, the manufactory passed into the possession of Empress Maria Theresa. From that point on, every piece has borne the Bindenschild—once the coat of arms of the Babenbergs—as a forgery-proof mark beneath the glaze. She developed a great fondness for "her" porcelain and left her stylistic mark through a preference for figurines (Maria Theresa herself loved costumes and masks, and celebrated Carnival extensively with her husband at various masquerade balls) and rocaille ornamentation. Many new floral motifs were developed, as the imperial couple shared a particular fondness for botany.
Viennese porcelain production experienced a particularly glorious golden age under the directorship of Conrad Freiherr Sörgel von Sorgenthal. This era entered the history books as the "Painted Period." Prominent porcelain painters such as Kothgasser, Nigg, and Lamprecht created elaborately crafted works of the highest quality. The formal language drew inspiration from antiquity: relief gold decoration, palmettes, and cornucopias adorned clearly structured, elegantly proportioned pieces. Viennese porcelain gained renewed international attention during the Congress of Vienna in 1814. The "white gold" found its way into the royal households of Europe and was regarded as the very embodiment of elegance and prestige.
With the Biedermeier period, however, a shift began to take hold. The onset of industrialisation fundamentally altered the economic landscape: imperial decrees opened up broader entrepreneurial activity, large-scale industries emerged and made it increasingly difficult to sell handcrafted luxury goods. At the same time, porcelain found its way into middle-class households, evolving from an exclusive prestige object into an everyday item. The Viennese manufactory responded with simpler, more modest products. Elaborately decorated showpieces were produced ever more rarely.
