In the early 1700s, King Augustus II, prince elector of Saxony, held goldsmith Johann Bottger prisoner and commissioned him to create gold. Bottger instead discovered the method of creating porcelain, a favored and valuable item in the king's eyes.
The king announced to Europe in 1710 that he would open a porcelain manufactory in Dresden. He instead opened one at nearby Albrechtsburg castle in Meissen. Espionage was rampant, and the king guarded his porcelain secret, even though it meant imprisoning workers within the castle walls.
By 1720, the secret was leaked and porcelain producers popped up in Vienna and Venice. Dresden porcelain adopted Saxon crossed swords in under-glaze blue as its distinguishing mark.
In 1736, the porcelain manufactory produced the "Swan Service." It consists of 1,400 pieces, and is the largest, most lavish porcelain service ever created.
In 1872, Dresden built its own manufactory to better establish its role in porcelain production. The porcelain created in Dresden bears a blue crown marker to distinguish it from pieces made in Meissen.
