What Is KPM Porcelain?

Notable

• The most notable company associated with the letters KPM was started by a German entrepreneur named Wilhelm Casper Wegley in the mid-1700s. In 1763, the King of Prussia, Frederick the II, gained control of the company and it remained under royal control until 1918. The company's official imprint, a blue royal scepter, began to appear on pieces during the reign of Frederick and still marks KPM products today.

Other

• Other porcelain manufacturers have tried to take advantage of the prestige of the original company by using the initials KPM. A prominent example, the porcelain works owned by Carl Franz Krister, ostensibly used the initials to stand for Krister Porcelain Manufactory, but clearly Krister was attempting to profit from any resulting confusion with the royally controlled company. The Krister works produced high-quality products for many years, but the owners stopped using the KPM name in the mid-20 century.

Styles

• The porcelain objects created by KPM have reflected the artistic styles of the period in which they were made. For instance, the mid-18th century pieces highlight the rococo style, which emphasizes irregular shapes and ornate decoration. A period influenced by the classical style followed, with pieces made according to principles of harmony and symmetry. Other more recent approaches to porcelain design have included jugendstil, focusing on motifs from nature, and art deco.

Paintings

• A lesser known production from the various companies using the KPM name, porcelain paintings, started to gain popularity in the mid-19th century. Painting on porcelain requires a great amount of skill to do well, as the color might change when the porcelain is fired. Often, the images depicted were copies of famous paintings. Today, porcelain paintings with a KPM mark are highly collectible, with larger pieces typically having greater value than smaller ones. The artist's signature adds value as well.