Arzberg porcelain makers create products by applying a high degree of artisan expertise – products which have successfully served the market over many years, and others which have become classics. But this can only happen with a design that is “so good it’s worth reproducing a thousand times over” as Heinrich Löffelhardt said back in the sixties. Today, the people at Arzberg craft many such designs which are worth duplicating – applying their own sensitive empathy towards materials and design to create different lines. The “Made in Germany” label has become far more than a technical seal of approval: today, it describes not just the high technological standard of manufacture, it stands equally for authenticity and genuineness – at every stage of the process.

A brief insight into the production area where a lid for a Form 1382 pot is being made highlights this perfectly: place the mould on the potter’s wheel, fill with liquid mass, form the cast, pour out the plaster moulds, dry the casts, lift off the cast cover, cut out the hole in the lid, open the plaster mould, take out the cast, place it on one side, put the casting mould together for the next casting, transfer the cast lid on a trolley to the drying room, work on it further in the cleaning room the next day: this is where the seams and sharp edges of the hole in the lid are scraped away using a knife and the lines cut out, cut off and contoured according to the specification, then the lid is wiped with a damp sponge and all traces of seams and processing smoothed out by hand, and then it’s time for drying, baking, glazing, decorating – with the necessary part-processes and steps in-between, and – depending on the level of finish – up to six quality controls!