Washington and Lee University
Made of Porcelain
Museum Purchase with Funds Provided by the Buddy Taub Foundation, Dennis and Jill Roach, Directors
Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland (1670-1733), was one of the most insatiable collectors of porcelain of all times. He acquired over 24,000 pieces of Chinese and Japanese porcelain, and his interest led him to found the Meissen Factory, which was the first European pottery to produce porcelain.
Like all well-organized collections, each of Augustus's pieces was marked. On the back of each piece was engraved a number and a symbol that represented the type of porcelain; the wavy line on this piece represents "blue and white East Indian porcelain."