The Haute Couture
of Porcelain

(Porcelain) In the quiet Nymphenburg Malerei painting workshop), a master artisan holds a delicate white porcelain bowl, diligently painting the final extended leaf of a floral pattern set perfectly in the object’s center. At first, the color appears to be brown and lacks luster even after firing. Only when expertly polished to a high gloss with agate and bloodstones—which takes three times as long as the application process—will the paint reveal its true composition: brilliant 24-karat fine gold.

In the Formerei (molding/forming workshop), a small hollow-cast mouse figurine, initially composed of four separate parts, becomes one realistic whole; practiced hands deftly utilize wooden tools whittled down to the exact size to shape tiny paws and even tinier claws. And in the Dreherei (pottery workshop), plates, bowls, and vases are dexterously molded by hand on potter’s wheels, resulting in the brand’s characteristically fine porcelain body, the underside stamped with the iconic Nymphenburg mark and the master potter’s initials.

The Heart of the Factory
Time-consuming processes are at the heart of the Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory, the world’s last “pure manufactory” where each object is made by hand. Situated in the northern rotunda of the Nymphenburg Palace complex in Munich and today owned by Prince Luitpold of Bavaria—a member of the House of Wittelsbach which reigned of Bavaria until 1918—the atelier was established in 1747. Not a great deal has changed in the past three centuries in terms of the integrity of its heritage production. Hydropower from the palace stream drives the workshop’s machinery, transmitted across the site via a belt system designed generations before.

And, as it has always done, Nymphenburg creates its own porcelain mixture—a composite of kaolin, feldspar, and quartz which takes around three years from preparation to use. “We are in a kind of glass dome here, on the castle grounds, where everything still works as it did in the 18th century,” says Nymphenburg CEO, Anders Thomas.

Timeless Craft, Modern Vision
Throughout its storied past, the company has continued to challenge itself, retaining a close collaboration with artists and designers. Every piece in its illustrious history has emerged from margin-pushing artistic visions that explore the boundaries of contemporary art and design and centuries-old craftsmanship. “We are the haute couture of porcelain; we create fine art in porcelain, something no one else does,” says Thomas. “I believe that because we are very aware of the past on the one hand, and are master craftsmen on the other, we have the capacity to start new and unfamiliar projects with the materiality of porcelain.”

One of the latest of these endearingly new and unfamiliar projects is the Lightscape series, a collaboration between the Argentinean paper artist Ruth Gurvich and Nymphenburg’s master artisans. What ensues is an astounding set of modern tableware objects that minutely mimic the materiality of paper, including its parchment texture and creases.

Another, the Flowers of the Blue Line project, is a collaboration with the pioneering American pop artist Judy Ledgerwood to create 800 hand-painted majolica tiles. These now adorn Racine Station on Chicago’s Blue Line. “As long as the artists align with the moral and ethical values of the owning family, there’s really no such thing as too extreme,” says Thomas. “If that criterion is met, then the only remaining question is: is it possible to produce in porcelain?“

Traces of Ledgerwood’s abundantly colorful works can be found back in the Malerei, where a wall affixed with hundreds of color samples on small porcelain tabs imparts another piece of the company’s unique story. It is that of the Nymphenburg color laboratory, where every hue ever used for painting has been produced and mixed in-house. The “lab” contains thousands of pigments and color oxides, with the ability to recreate around 15,000 custom color recipes. “When our customers’ children or grandchildren want to remake or repair their Nymphenburg porcelain heirlooms, we can reproduce their exact custom color,” says Patricia Yen Lyn Freimuth, Head of Marketing and PR at Nymphenburg. “This is something that really sets us apart.”

A World of Porcelain
Past the warehouse—where more than 30,000 historical figurines and tableware models and molds lie in storage—one of the manufactory’s newest projects emerges into view: the Kempinski Royal Residence Nymphenburg. The luxury residence, now under the management of Kempinski Vier Jahreszeiten, is the former home of a former Nymphenburg director and is a showcase of porcelain’s bespoke place in modern architecture.

Inside, details like the floral-shaped Spilla wall lights, special edition bathroom sinks with painted birds, or kitchen tiles with decorative reliefs singularize the interior design. Most striking, however, are the sauna’s Lithophane panels—made from three-dimensional translucent handmade porcelain—which, when backlit, reveal an astoundingly detailed panoramic image of a lakeside mountainscape.

Back in the manufactory, it is only the showroom that is open to the public—the production facilities are closed off to protect the many delicate work environments. What visitors do get to see is a fantasy world where downy foxes curl up on books, colorful birds of paradise spread their intricate wings, miniature elephants raise their trunks in triumph, or leopards pose in mid-fight. Some of these figurines are composed of up to 100 separate parts, each cast individually, then carefully assembled and meticulously painted before being fired in the kiln and brought to life.

Next door, contemporary collections are on display, such as Generation T by the Dutch industrial designer Hella Jongerius—which breathes new life into outdated antique tableware by adding paintings of fantasy weeds or provocative drips. Here too, is the classic Rococo Cumberland series, which features what might be the world’s most elaborate floral decoration—one hand-painted plate requires around three weeks of painting time.

All of the items on display are made by hand, with mastery acquired through years of practice, and with techniques and knowledge passed down through generations. Made relevant through experimentation and contemporary creativity, this is porcelain art in its purest and most spectacular form. “When someone buys a Nymphenburg tableware set or their object of desire, then they own it, and if they don’t happen to accidentally break it, then it’s there to stay,” says Thomas. “It is this high quality that makes it so durable—and so utterly timeless.”