(1819)
This urn is part of the Prussian Service which was given to the Duke of Wellington by the King of Prussia after Waterloo. The whole service comprises 460 pieces and was made in the Berlin Porcelain Factory between 1817 and 1819.
The service commemorates all the Duke’s famous battles culminating with the victory over Napoleon in June 1815 at Waterloo.
The urn shows the Battle of Waterloo in 360 degrees format with the Duke of Wellington dominating the scene.
Wellington is shown, incorrectly, on a white horse to heighten the dramatic effect as he greets Prince Von Blücher, the leader of the Prussian Cavalry.
The Berlin factory were the leading exponents of these types of pictorial ceramics and in the years after Waterloo they produced some of the finest tableware which King William Frederick III presented to the nobility of Europe.
Decorative tableware like the Waterloo urn would have graced Wellington’s table as well as being put on display on side (or buffet) tables for his guests to admire.
In the 1840s special rosewood cabinets were commissioned by the Duke of Wellington to house the Prussian and other dinner services given to him by the crowned heads of Europe.
The Berlin Porcelain Factory (KPM) was founded in 1763 by King Frederick II of Prussia. The company logo is a cobalt blue sceptre which was stamped into every piece. The Berlin factory still produces porcelain today.