On occasion of the Prussian Sale we have divided the timespan between 1701 and 1918 into chapters, introducing their most influential players, commentators, and styles. Take a look and let us surprise you!

How can the Rococo style be reconciled with Frederick II’s principles? The Rococo can be viewed as an aesthetic rebellion against the geometric order that forms the foundation of a military state. From the camp bed to the parade: Army life is dictated by the stark regularity of horizontal and vertical lines, designed for clarity, efficiency, and pragmatism. The Rococo style is governed by the exact opposite. The straight lines that previously ordered space are forced to give way give way to innumerable scintillating curves. Surfaces come alive and move as erratically as a veil in the wind. The Rococo rejects symmetry. Gables, mouldings, corners, and edges no longer serve to bring order or closure to a space, but are instead denoted to a framework for dynamic arabesques and floral garlands. From walls and facades to plates and silver spoons, everything becomes a stage from which to stimulate and enrapture the soul. Like a canvas, architecture and objects become the mere foundation of a new work of art. 

As a young man, Frederick II was forbidden from musical pursuits, although he showed considerable talent for music, writing, and drawing. His father did not think highly of such effeminate activities, as he saw no military usage for them. Ironically it would be Frederick who would later make excellent use his father’s army. Despite his passion for the military, Frederick William only led his forces into war on one occasion: The Pomeranian campaign of 1715. The court goldsmith Lieberkühn was one of the few cultural bridges between father and son. He was the author of the pair of candlesticks with royal monograms presented in this catalogue (lot 29).

The end of the second Silesian War earned Frederick the moniker “the Great”. Although this characteristic remai-ned, in the course of his life his people came to known him as “Old Fritz”. The exhaustion of the later Seven Years’ War frequently brought the King to the brink of his existence, but it also rewarded him with a priceless treasure: Porcelain. Although the Berlin manufactories of Wegely and Gotzkowsky had experienced some success in 1751, as illustrated by the Wegely porcelain vase (lot 39), it was the knowledge gained through Frederick’s victory over Saxony which finally allowed him to found his own royal porcelain manufactory – KPM – in 1763. The Royal Berlin Porcelain manufactory still uses the sceptre of the Electoral coat-ofarms of Brandenburg as its trademark to this day. Frederick II contributed greatly to the success of “his” manufactory with numerous extensive orders, many of which you will find among the examples in the following chapter, such as the service for Berlin City Palace in lots 88–97. Frederick was infected by the “Maladie de porcelain”, having already ordered numerous services from Meissen throughout the Seven Years’ War, designed according to detailed instructions. One such piece is the cloche from a service later known as the “Möllendorf Service” (lot 50).

The year 1745 did not begin well for Prussia. Frederick II was in the midst of a war against Maria Theresa, Queen of Austria and Silesia. On 8th January 1745, Maria Theresia increased her military strength even further by forming a quadruple alliance against Prussia comprising Austria, the Netherlands, Britain, and Saxony. Despite these seemingly unbeatable odds, the Prussians were able to beat the armies of the alliance at Hohenfriedberg, Soor, and Kesselsdorf. This resulted in the Peace of Dresden, signed on 25th December 1745, in which Maria Theresa relinquished Silesia and it became a part of Prussia. Upon his return to Berlin, Frederick was for the first time commended as “the Great”. The citizens of Berlin were so enthused that banners of “Vivat Fridericus Magnus” decorated many houses. The peace not only benefitted national morale, but also brought considerable economic perks: Saxony was forced to pay one million Taler in reparations to Prussia. The newly gained territory of Silesia was also rich in mineral resources, including silver, which was an important source of Prussian wealth.