Officer, Royal Horse Guards, 1937

Designed and produced by Sachsische Porzellan Manufaktur Dresden, at Potschappel, Germany

Dresden & Sitzendorf Military Porcelain Figures 

Of the numerous Continental porcelain factories, the Dresden factory stands out as the producer of the finest military figures in terms of both sculpting and painting. Production of military figures began in 1908 with a mounted figure of Napoleon (an example of which may be seen at Churchill's home, Chartwell in Kent), followed by a series of figures illustrating French uniforms of the Napoleonic era. In 1914, with 100th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo looming, Thomas Goode & Co., of Mayfair, London, commissioned a series of figures representing British regiments of Wellington's Allied army. A number of these specially marked and now rare figureswere imported from Saxony into England for retailing by Goode & Co. prior to the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914. With hostilities in progress, the Dresden factory continued production in 1915 with emphasis on the Prussian martial tradition and the German element of the Alliance against Napoleon. Between 1929 and 1938, Reinhold Braunschmitt, the factory's chief sculptor who had been responsible for the earlier Napoleonic figures, began modelling historical and contemporary British military figures. These new additions included a range of figures representing the uniforms of the first three regiments of British Foot Guards from 1660 to the present day and the series of Napoleon's Marshals. Production of the earlier Waterloo series continued alongside these figures, and a number of special commissions were undertaken, including figures of officers the Welsh and Irish Guards. Examples of the latter, which are no longer recorded at Dresden, have passed through the Armoury's inventory in recent years, including mounted and dismounted Life Guards in full dress uniform of circa 1930 and a possibly unique mounted figure of Edward, Prince of Wales, in hunting garb. 


Being situated on the outskirts of the Dresden, the factory was fortunate to survive the fire bombing of the city by the R.A.F. in February 1945. Although its many valuable designs and moulds remained in tact the company was expropriated under the Communist regime and it suffered the gradual loss of its export market. Lack of direct contact with informed retailers in the U.K. and the passing of the skilled military figure painters who had worked at the factory in the heyday of the 1930's meant a general decline in the standards of production. In 1972 the business passed into state ownership and at this time a number of British military figure moulds, including those of the Guards and Waterloo series' were dispersed to the neighbouring Sitzendorf factory. Sitzendorf's output, which during the Cold War period was principally aimed at British military personnel visiting East Berlin, varied widely in quality and style of painting, in the cutting of details and fitting of accoutrements, such as sword blades, scabbards, and plumes. Today both factories retain the capacity to produce a selection of military, naval and ceremonial figures created by Braunschmitt and fellow sculptors, but as in many other fields of the applied arts these modern productions are often less successful in capturing the essence of the subject than their older counterparts