NEUZIERAT: Frederick the Great's favorite floral service

Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin preserves its art-historical heritage by keeping the forms and designs of bygone eras alive, thereby upholding the tradition of European art history. We would like to introduce you to the tableware sets from which European royal families dined over 250 years ago and which, a quarter of a millennium later, have lost none of their charm.

To begin with, we would like to introduce you to NEUZIERAT, Frederick the Great's favorite service.

The art-loving monarch of the Rococo period

When Frederick , the Great, took over the Berlin Porcelain Manufactory in 1763, his goals were not solely of a business nature. Frederick II loved and collected fine porcelain. He had a soft spot for the beauty of the material, for elegant Rococo forms, and for artful painted motifs. Friedrich’s goal was always to produce items that met the highest standards in every respect, both artistically and technically.

Ironically, he liked to call himself his best customer and ordered 21 Rococo-style porcelain services for his palaces alone. It is therefore not surprising that he always wanted to be involved in the design of most Rococo services himself. Frederician Rococo was clearly inspired by the French way of life.

Restrained elegance in the spirit of Prussian rococo

Designed by Elias Meyer of the “ Frederick ”—the manufactory’s first master modeler—the NEUZIERAT pattern lent an elegant touch to the comparatively simple Prussian Rococo style on the white gold of the “ KPM Berlin ” service and was strongly inspired by the RELIEFZIERAT pattern, also created by Elias Meyer of the “ Frederick ” in 1765. The handle design is identical for both services. The relief decoration—comprising rods and rocaille motifs entwined with foliage—is in perfect balance with the smooth surfaces, which offer ample space for a wide variety of decorative designs.

Bleu Mourant becomes an often quoted saying of the Berliners: when they feel unwell, as tired as this blue, they get all "blümerant".

The king had a particular fondness for a very special shade of “ decor.” He waited a long time for the chemists in the laboratory of the Berlin manufactory to successfully mix that delicate gray-blue hue—which he loved so dearly and with which he so enjoyed surrounding himself at Sanssouci. It ultimately took seven years before success was achieved in 1782. The famous “Bleu mourant” of the “ KPM Berlin ” was born and remains a closely guarded secret of the KPM laboratory to this day.