The factory, founded upon the order of Augustus II the Strong in the Albrechtsburg castle in 1710, became the first European porcelain manufactory.

In 1707, as a result of long research and numerous experiments, alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger revealed the secret of the “Chinese” porcelain and obtained the first porcelain paste. Further, he worked out the production and baking process of porcelain objects. Until 1719, the Meissen manufactory produced items made of coloured stoneware – red, black, cream – then, the true white porcelain entered the production stage.

During the 18th century, Meissen porcelain enjoyed the first flourishing of the “painting” period, when items were mainly decorated with paint, and then the epoch of the plastic style, created by the principal modeller of the manufactory Johann Joachim Kändler, author of popular and still sculptural series. In the end, the classicism style came into force – at that time the factory started to lose its flagship role in porcelain production. In the late 18th – early 19th century, the new style and fashion trends made manufactory either pattern after the works of their rivals or copy the models that had already gained popularity in the 18th century. In the ensuing time, the manufactory’s production did not stand out with breakthroughs or remarkable names of artists and sculptors. Nevertheless, the technical characteristics of Meissen porcelain still remain at the highest level.