OGANOG0299087
Group of Four Meissen Porcelain Plates
Germany 20th Century
A set of four Meissen porcelain plates with the "onion pattern." The "Zwiebelmuster" or "Onion Blue," commonly known to us as the "Onion Pattern," has become a symbol of the Meissen Manufactory over the centuries. It is painted in cobalt blue underglaze and depicts highly stylized flowers, trees, and fruit. The oldest piece made in Meissen with this pattern, inspired by a Chinese design from the Kangxi period, dates to 1739 and was painted directly by Hoeroldt. It features stylized peonies, Japanese peaches, asters, and pomegranates sinuously arranged around a bamboo stalk. Each of these elements has a specific meaning in Eastern symbolism. They represent: longevity (the bamboo), good fortune (the peony), cheerfulness (the aster), immortality (the peach), and fertility (the pomegranate).