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.