
Du Paquier Manufactory, Vienna, Trembleuse Cup and Saucer painted with polychrome "indianische Blumen" and a Bird, c. 1725
A Marvellous Science. Passion for Porcelain in Baroque Vienna
Vienna, Liechtenstein Garden Palace
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30.1.2025 – 30.3.2025
Vienna, Liechtenstein Garden Palace
The Princely Liechtenstein Collections house exceptional holdings of creations produced at the Du Paquier porcelain manufactory in Vienna – only the second such enterprise to be founded in Europe. It was here that the first successful experiments in painting with a vibrant colour palette took place, on this fragile material that would come to characterize a whole epoch. In the contemporary international competition for innovative products and economic superiority, porcelain played an important role as a financial and commercial object. But it also changed dining culture by enabling dazzling displays of wealth and aristocratic status.
The mania for collecting spread all over the continent, also taking hold in the House of Liechtenstein. The Princely Collections still have extensive holdings of precious porcelain, both wares imported from East Asia to Vienna and those made in Europe after the rediscovery of the formula for porcelain. The Du Paquier manufactory with its imperial charter, only the second porcelain works to be established in Europe, played a decisive role in all this. It was located in the Rossau quarter near the Liechtenstein Garden Palace, and Liechtenstein princes and princesses became keen connoisseurs of Du Paquier’s precious wares, not just in the Baroque but also in subsequent eras. Moreover, the Collections are still being added to with outstanding specimens from the manufactory’s heyday.
In the temporary exhibition, porcelain made by the Du Paquier manufactory is on display alongside examples of the East Asian models that inspired it, complemented by precious lacquer and silver work, and paintings. Among the exhibits, elaborate dessert and hunting services can be admired alongside stand-alone pieces with playful decoration embodying the exuberance of Baroque joie de vivre. Through these objects the exhibition tells a tale encompassing ingenuity, passion for collecting, international trade, industrial espionage, the exchange of technologies and, not least, the splendour of the era’s festive culture.





View of the exhibition
View of the exhibition
View of the exhibition
View of the exhibition
A MARVELLOUS SCIENCE. Passion for Porcelain in Baroque Vienna
Liechtenstein Garden Palace
30.1.2025 – 30.3.2025 | daily 10 am – 6 pm
free admission | registration is not required
Guided tours to accompany the temporary exhibition take place in German. English guided tours will be offered every Saturday. Find more information on special guided tours of the temporary and the permanent exhibition and bookings here:
* Please note that the exhibition galleries at the Liechtenstein Garden Palace and City Palace, the sale of tickets, and the events and guided tours at both palaces are operated by Palais Liechtenstein / Liechtenstein Group AG. The contract partner for your tour reservation is Palais Liechtenstein / Liechtenstein Group AG.
Media Partner

The exhibition takes place with the generous support and in cooperation with the MAK – Museum of Applied Arts.
