Platillo Meissen Primera Elección- "Rico Dragón de la Corte Verde" - Periodo Pfeiffer (1924-34) y - Saucer - Porcelain, Silver - Pictorial virtuosity 8 cm

Meissen Dish "Rich Green Court Dragon" - Pfeiffer Period (1924-34) and perimetral mount in 925 silver by Hermann Behrnd, Goldsmith to the Royal Court of Saxony (Hofjuwelier)

Description
Exquisite high-end display dish, made in Meissen hard-paste German porcelain, hand-painted under the historic pattern “Rich Court Dragon in Green” (Rico Dragón de la Corte Verde) and adorned with a perimetral mount in 925 sterling silver executed by Hermann Behrnd, Goldsmith and Silversmith to the Royal Court of Saxony.

Exquisite display dish or high-end ashtray with a diameter of 8 cm, produced in Meissen hard-paste German porcelain during the coveted Pfeiffer Period (1924–1934), and equipped with a perimetral mount in sterling silver by the firm Hermann Behrnd (Dresden), which bore the official title of Hofjuwelier (Goldsmith to the Saxon Court).

Virtuosidad pictórica:
The piece stands out for the absolute miniaturist virtuosity of its polychrome ornamentation. The factory’s master painter (identified on the back with the red handwritten code 212a) demonstrates exceptional technical mastery by condensing the complex iconography of the imperial Chinese dragon and the phoenix onto a surface of barely 8 centimeters. With micrometer-precise brushstrokes, the artist delineates the anatomy of the mythological creatures, the scales, and the dynamic flames using Meissen’s characteristic green glaze, accentuated with fine touches of gold that add relief to the design.

Dating the porcelain
The cobalt-blue crossed-swords mark under the glaze shows a clearly defined central dot between the upper edges of the blades, an unequivocal mark that frames the piece in the famous Pfeiffer Period (1924–1934).

Hermann Behrnd (Dresden): The metalwork and the status of official court goldsmith of the Royal Court of Saxony (Hofjuwelier):
The contour of the piece is enriched and protected by a structural ring made to measure by the prestigious goldsmithing firm of Hermann Behrnd, founded in 1881 in Dresden (Saxony) and recognized as the silverware for the Saxon Court. A legally and technically mandated status seal granted exclusively by the monarch’s decree.
This recognition required the highest quality standards within the empire and restricted the workshop’s clientele to royalty, the aristocracy, and the upper bourgeoisie.

This mount corresponds to a sumptuous commission intended to protect the perimeter of the fine porcelain and transform it into an exclusive freestanding object.

The metallic band bears stamped, from left to right, the crescent moon, the Reichsstempel crown, the thousandths of 925 silver, and the initials HB of the silversmith. The official German silver hallmark system, as we know it today, has been in force since 1888 by a 1886 decree.
The rarity of this piece lies in the fact that Behrnd’s workshops and matrices in Dresden were completely destroyed in February 1945 during World War II, making this piece a limited historical testament of the interwar period.

All of this makes this interwar dish a commissioned work.

HISTORICAL EXCLUSIVITY:
This status as a Crown supplier is a key element for the proper valuation of the object: it explains why a workshop of such stature had direct access to the Meissen Royal Factory’s “First Quality” lots (Pfeiffer Period) to perform high-end material hybrids.

We are not dealing with mass production, but with an exclusive commissioned item and high jewelry. The perimetral mount in sterling silver was designed specifically for this porcelain with a triple purpose:

1. Structural shield: to protect the perimeter of the hard-paste from chipping at the area of greatest friction and use.

2. Luxury standalone object: to detach the meticulous 8 cm Meissen dish to transform it into a freestanding display piece, ready to be sold individually in the most exclusive shops of the Saxon capital.

3. Material reevaluation: to fuse the prestige of Europe’s most coveted porcelain with the finely contrasted noble metal, turning this dish into an exclusive commission of decorative arts hybridization.

The authenticity of the silver is guaranteed by its export stamps: the HB initials set in their characteristic three-point shield, flanked by 925 purity and the word STERLING.

The historical value and scarcity of this combined work are dramatically increased because all of Hermann Behrnd’s workshops, archives, and matrices in Dresden disappeared completely in February 1945 during the bombings of World War II. As a destroyed firm that never reopened after the war, each of its surviving royal mounts constitutes a strictly limited and non-reproducible historical testimony, reinforcing its status as a sought-after investment piece for collectors of the interwar era.

The geographic and temporal coexistence of porcelain and silverware confirms that the piece was conceived from the outset as a united Saxe interwar era ensemble. Its historical rarity is heightened by the destruction of Behrnd’s Dresden workshops, archives, and matrices in February 1945 during the Allied bombings, preventing any later reproduction and turning each surviving piece into a limited testament of the era.

Condition: Excellent. No cracks, gaps, or wear in either the polychromy or the metal. Maintains perfect structural cohesion between the metal and ceramic edge, with no gaps, cracks, or wear in the polychromy or in the precious metal.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
** The photographs are part of the description.
** The final measurements and weight indicated correspond to the configuration of secure packaging, essential to guarantee proper protection of this piece during transport.