Alice & Kilian Jay von Seldeneck are passionate about buying and auctioning porcelain. Jörg Woltmann, owner of KPM Berlin, spoke to the couple for our WEISS Magazine No. 5 about things that tell stories and works of art in the hands of children...

JÖRG WOLTMANN: How did you get into collecting porcelain? For a young couple like you, that's rather unusual.

ALICE VON SELDENECK: I think that as a collector you should always buy what you enjoy. If someone only buys something because they think they are making a good investment, they are collecting in the wrong way.

KILIAN VON SELDENECK: There is a beautiful term: In addition to the monetary return that one expects, there is also an emotional return. If you walk past a collector's item every day and enjoy it, that is priceless.

JÖRG WOLTMANN: What inspires you about the objects of KPM Berlin?

KILIAN VON SELDENECK: I find the design language developed in this Berlin manufactory very exciting. The grand masters of the respective epochs were able to try their hand at the material of porcelain here.

ALICE VON SELDENECK: What we focus on when collecting are the porcelains of the 20th century. During this time, many artists at KPM inspired each other. In my opinion, the classic forms of Trude Petri, Siegmund Schütz, Enzo Mari, and Marguerite Friedlaender still have a lot of potential. Interest in them is growing.

JÖRG WOLTMANN: This era is also the focus of a publication that I supported with my foundation. In the three-volume work „Porzellan der KPM Berlin 1918–1988“, the author Tim Gronert dedicates himself to the modern Berlin porcelain production.

ALICE VON SELDENECK: Tim Gronert's publication was a highlight for me in 2020. One volume is dedicated solely to the artists who worked for KPM. I think it's great that a young man immersed himself in this topic for ten years and, as the son of an antique dealer, contributed a great deal of family knowledge.

JÖRG WOLTMANN: Until I took over the manufactory, I was only a user of KPM porcelain. I bought my first KURLAND service when I was 28 and I still own it. Today - as an enthusiast and collector - I naturally also have the classics such as the PRINZESSINNENGRUPPE, the Schinkel basket and the FRIEDRICH bust. Each one is an intricate masterpiece that is very fragile in the manufacturing process. Do you have a favorite piece from our manufactory?

KILIAN VON SELDENECK: We recently bought a FLOWER SHIP by Siegmund Schütz, in a very special 50s painting: black on one side, yellow on the inside and white on the outside.

ALICE VON SELDENECK: It has a porcelain insert that I fill with new flowers every week. It looks different every time. It's actually a work of art. KILIAN VON SELDENECK: The whole table is beautifully decorated and at the same time it allows for conversation about the flowers. A vase sometimes gets in the way.

JÖRG WOLTMANN: You have four children ... Is your KPM tableware also used or is it in the display cabinet?

KILIAN VON SELDENECK: We have four children – our eldest son has just turned ten – and a dog. Nevertheless, we use the good dishes.

ALICE VON SELDENECK: Yes, that is important to me. I want to accustom the children to beautiful things early on.

JÖRG WOLTMANN: In my parents' house, we only ate from the good KPM tableware on Sundays. And I was aware early on that it was something special. My brother and I didn't have to set or clear the table, or do the washing up or drying. It was too dangerous for the good service. We were very happy about that, we especially hated washing up.

KILIAN VON SELDENECK: Our children are growing up with KPM and have a feel for this material, which has exuded a magic since 1763 and still fascinates people today. They have no fear of contact.

ALICE VON SELDENECK: On the contrary. Something wonderful happened recently. I had bought two different tea sets from KPM in Hamburg, but both in the same design. The opportunity was simply too tempting. When I received the large box with the two sets and unpacked it, my five-year-old son was there. He took two cups, turned them over, and said, "Mommy, look, they look the same, but one has an orb. That one is from before the war, the other from after."

JÖRG WOLTMANN: He recognized it by the marking under the cups?

ALICE VON SELDENECK: Yes. I was surprised that he even knew the term 'Reichsapfel' (orb). I asked him, "How do you know that?" He replied, "Daddy told me."

JÖRG WOLTMANN: As the daughter of Henrik Hanstein, who is the fifth generation to run the Lempertz art auction house in Cologne, you also grew up surrounded by precious objects. Were you aware of this as a child?

ALICE VON SELDENECK: Of course, I wasn't aware of it as a child, but it certainly didn't pass me by without leaving a trace. My parents definitely gave me a sense for the beautiful things.

JÖRG WOLTMANN: If you look at the market today: Would you advise someone to collect porcelain?

KILIAN VON SELDENECK: If you are a young, up-and-coming collector and take a budget of – let's say – 5,000 or 10,000 euros in your hand, you will only get an edition by Gerhard Richter for that. But you can certainly buy an exciting piece from KPM that cannot be dismissed from the canon of art history.

ALICE VON SELDENECK: And this piece retains its value. For example, if you keep a KPM cup long enough, you can even make a lot of money from it. Admittedly, it takes time. What we sell expensively now is the porcelain from the 18th century. You can't wait 250 years... But you could pass it on as an inheritance. Or even sell it again after a week for a good price.

JÖRG WOLTMANN: One might generally think that porcelain is not so en vogue.

KILIAN VON SELDENECK: I have the feeling that porcelain is a collecting area that already has a lot of dynamism. We have many friends who are enthusiastic about porcelain. There are these so-called Conversation Pieces: conversation pieces that are bought to tell stories and history. And with the old techniques that KPM is now reviving, they bridge the gap between generations.

JÖRG WOLTMANN: What do you particularly like? 

ALICE VON SELDENECK: The lustre painting on the BERLIN breakfast cups, for example. These are magnificent gifts for guests - a modern design and at the same time deeply rooted in KPM history through the lustre painting.

Woltmann meets house friends Alice & Kilian Jay von Seldeneck