Table Fountain Parts thumbnail 1
Table Fountain Parts thumbnail 2
+54
images
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Table Fountain Parts

2013-2014 (made)
Artist/Maker

The Meissen table fountain 246:1-1870 was acquired by the Museum in 1870, by which time it was fragmentary and much damaged and its original provenance had been lost. Only the main figural pieces were on display while the remainder, including many fragmentary pieces, remained in store.

In 2011, we embarked on a research and restoration programme. Many of the damaged parts were carefully restored by the Museum's conservators. We have also used scanning technology to create virtual, 3D models of the missing parts of the fountain. These scans are based on a second, nineteenth-century version of the fountain in the stores of the Porzellansammlung in Dresden. We used cutting-edge 3D printing and machine-tooling technology to translate these 3D scans into enlarged models. From these models we took plaster moulds. Steve Brown at the Royal College of Art in London used the moulds to create new replacement parts in porcelain. They mostly consist of rocks, walls and border parts, as well as the paddle-wheels and the large, lower basin. A diagram attached to this record shows which parts were created in which period.

Object details

Object type
Parts
This object consists of 22 parts.

  • Paddle Wheel
  • Paddle Wheel
  • Fountain Part
  • Fountain Part
  • Fountain Part
  • Fountain Part
  • Fountain Part
  • Fountain Part
  • Basin
  • Fountain Part
  • Fountain Part
  • Fountain Part
  • Fountain Part
  • Fountain Part
  • Fountain Part
  • Fountain Part
  • Fountain Part
  • Fountain Part
  • Fountain Part
  • Fountain Part
  • Fountain Part
  • Fountain Part
Brief description
Part for Meissen table fountain, 246:1-1870, made in 2013-14
Dimensions
  • Weight: 58.84kg (Note: Total weight of all parts in C.27:1 to 22-2015.)
Credit line
Supported by the Arnhold family and by the Henry Arnhold Exchange Programme
Summary
The Meissen table fountain 246:1-1870 was acquired by the Museum in 1870, by which time it was fragmentary and much damaged and its original provenance had been lost. Only the main figural pieces were on display while the remainder, including many fragmentary pieces, remained in store.

In 2011, we embarked on a research and restoration programme. Many of the damaged parts were carefully restored by the Museum's conservators. We have also used scanning technology to create virtual, 3D models of the missing parts of the fountain. These scans are based on a second, nineteenth-century version of the fountain in the stores of the Porzellansammlung in Dresden. We used cutting-edge 3D printing and machine-tooling technology to translate these 3D scans into enlarged models. From these models we took plaster moulds. Steve Brown at the Royal College of Art in London used the moulds to create new replacement parts in porcelain. They mostly consist of rocks, walls and border parts, as well as the paddle-wheels and the large, lower basin. A diagram attached to this record shows which parts were created in which period.
Associated object
246-1870 (Group)
Collection
Accession number
C.27:1 to 22-2015

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Record createdJanuary 20, 2015
Record URL
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