Adam and Eve in Paradise (Historia von Adam und Eva)

Under the patronage of the King of Saxony, the secret of true Chinese porcelain—long sought in Europe—was discovered in the German city of Meissen (near Dresden) in 1709. Porcelain was so prized by contemporary royal and princely courts that it was called "white gold."

Many of the ornamental figural groupings and functional objects, such as tea services, were shaped and decorated in the "Chinese" or "Japanese" taste. This work testifies to the equal popularity of European styles and subjects. The white body of the porcelain offered a superb ground for the application of enamel colors painted under and over the clear glaze that coats the surface and bonds with the ceramic body during firing in the kiln. Bright and colorful, such porcelain figures replaced the dark brown and black or gilded patinas of small bronze sculptures popular in the previous century. They were more suitable adornments of city apartments and country houses erected in the new Rococo manner.