Lunchtime Lecture: Count Von Bruhl’s Table Fountain: the Resurrection of a Lost Royal Centrepiece

In 1870 the Museum acquired an extraordinary group of white Meissen porcelain part sculptures. The most important part of this was an incomplete and badly damaged table fountain in many parts. This was long believed to be a second, later copy of a lost original which belonged to count Von Bruhl, Premier Minister at the Court of Saxony in Dresden, and director of the Meissen porcelain factory. Working together with the Royal College of Art in London and using a combination of cutting edge digital technology and traditional ceramic making techniques, the V&A has restored and completed this fountain to its former glory. Join Reino Leifkes to discover how archival research in Dresden and Meissen has revealed the true and colourful history of this object which now takes pride of place in the Europe 1600-1815 Galleries at the V&A.

Reino Liefkes is Senior Curator and Head of Ceramics & Glass at the V&A Museum, London. Reino specialises in European glass and earthenware and was Lead Curator of the new V&A Ceramics Galleries which opened in 2009-10. He is the author/editor of Glass (V&A 1997) and Masterpieces of World Ceramics (V&A 2008) and contributed to many V&A exhibitions and catalogues including at Home in Renaissance Italy (V&A 2006) and Italian Renaissance Maiolica (V&A 2012).

To see our full Spring 2023 Lunchtime Lecture Programme, click 'Download Programme' on the right of this screen.