The early porcelain wares produced by the Meissen porcelain manufactory were often sold onto hausmaler, independent painters who would decorate the porcelain items in their homes or workshops. Hausmaler activity flourished in cities such as Augsburg. This teabowl and saucer were bought ‘in-the-white’ (undecorated) and painted by Ignaz Preissler, a prolific hausmaler who decorated porcelain with chinoiserie and battle scenes using a signature palette of black enamels known as Schwarzlot, which translates to ‘black lead’. His work was highly celebrated by kings, archbishops, and other members of the nobility, with one Polish count employing Preissler for seven years to decorate a vast quantity of porcelain and glass objects.
