Some things are just there. They are so natural that you have never asked yourself where they actually come from or what they mean. They can tell exciting stories. Just like our trademark! The cobalt blue scepter has an eventful past...

When Frederick the Great bought the factory from the Berlin merchant Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky more than 255 years ago, he literally put his stamp on the porcelain. Since then, the scepter mark from the Electoral Brandenburg coat of arms can be found on almost all KPM products - at least those that meet the strict quality requirements. If the porcelain piece stands up to the test after annealing, the scepter is applied to the porcelain with blue underglaze paint. Only then is it glazed and fired again, whereby the cobalt color becomes inextricably linked to the glaze. This not only shows the origin - the porcelain part is also counterfeit-proof!

A look at the different eras shows that the KPM trademark has changed often. The small differences in the early days are mainly due to the apprentices who applied the logo with a brush - of course not everyone had the same steady hands. And when a wave of imitation began in the middle of the 19th century, the Prussian eagle was a reminder of royal authority. The kingdom is now passé and there are trademark protection laws. By following its original form, the current KPM stamp carries its traditional origins within itself - and tells those who ask about it!

Since 1803, decorated porcelain has also been marked with a painting mark. Today this stamp in the shape of an imperial orb is usually placed next to the scepter. Depending on the type of decoration, the painting signet is applied in different colors.

Red: A red imperial orb denotes the porcelains that feature floral paintings. But colored figures and landscape paintings also receive the red stamp.

Green: If porcelain pieces are decorated without floral painting, for example with a gold or platinum border, color decorations or monograms, the imperial orb is stamped in green.

Blue: An orb in blue indicates decorations that were carried out with sharp fire colors. These colors are fired at a very high temperature, sink into the glaze and are dishwasher safe.

Black: Printed decorations, which KPM sometimes produces in small editions using lithography as a template for ceramic screen printing, are marked with a black orb.

At KPM, almost all decors are painted by hand. The porcelain painters can freely interpret the motifs - such as flowers or landscapes - within the specifications of the respective decor. At the end, the painter puts his signature on the base ring of the porcelain piece he decorated. It shows the painting to be unique. Every painter has his or her own personal logo. Additionally, numbers indicate the different painting decors. Special decors have the number 99.

There are also a few exceptions to the principles mentioned above. Painted MARI vases, small animal figures and buddy bears do not receive a painting stamp. Cutlery handles and decorative plates whose undersides are not glazed are also only marked with the scepter. Monograms made of flowers also receive the red orb. For aesthetic reasons, spoons do not have a scepter, painting mark or painter's mark.