Rebuilding the Meissen Fountain | Conservation | V&A

Acquired in 1870 with some pieces missing, here the Meissen Fountain is taken out of storage and rebuilt for the first time since being acquired by the V&A in 1870.
Upon discovering a 19th century porcelain copy of the fountain in Dresden, Germany, the missing pieces have been carefully 3D scanned and recreated.
Find out more about the object in Explore the Collections: collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1...
See more ceramics in our collections: www.vam.ac.uk/collections/cer...

[@douglasrandall8805]

As a goldsmith 50 years ago when lasers first came out we wondered what would it possibly be used for.

[@lexuinosirg5491]

A Masterpiece broken in peaces and then restored 😏

[@jessicamorales2555]

impressive. the art brings the human best potential to work

[@franzrogar]

You might create some clear-bluish resin with blinking LED illumination to mimic water on the fountain. That way, it might be more interesting and might help in ignoring the damages in the piece.

[@projectwaveform]

Beautiful restoration & illustrations on the mechanisms!

[@maxdecarrier3733]

merveilleuse restauration....bravo

[@terriyoung4557]

It's beautiful I love it.

[@belleringr6377]

Brilliant

[@cristiandachelet165]

Wonderful

[@scottgray6276]

Is the pressing of slabs of clay into the mold where the term, "paste" comes from? I use the slip technique, and seeing "paste" on the labels of pieces in museums, that look like they are slip-cast in several pieces, then assembled before firing, made me wonder if there were more than one term for the same thing.

[@SuperMan-xy8ui]

Meissen maintains a mold archive of more than 700,000 moulds from over 300 years. I would assume that the original molds still exist because Meissen replacements for that fountain were produced between 1774 and 1815 and a nineteenth-century version of the central figure group was created?

[@variegatus]

You've avoided the issue of real water in this fountain. Why? I'm also curious why the original is white while the copy is multi-colored. Nice video, Thanks.

[@IrishAnnie]

I saw this in August, but some pieces were missing. Restoration perhaps?

[@buny4773]

I hoped they would restore it so it could play again

[@acey850]

Is it just a marvelous table sculpture or did it also function as a fountain?

[@dutchessblackhawk732]

How did water run in this in 1870?

[@user-re6qs6pr5t]

Для русскоязычной аудитории сделайте пожалуйста с титрами.....

[@AA-xd9fg]

I came here for Supreme

[@boulderarchitect]

Ugh. Rich people...