Ceramics by Johann Gottlieb Altmann

Johann Gottlieb Altmann sought a material that would bring Bolesławiec wares closer to porcelain. He began experiments to improve the clay body in 1818. His work combined technology with vessel designs featuring more elaborate forms and decoration.

In 1825, he developed a glaze with a lower lead content, safer than earlier glazes and inexpensive to produce. The change therefore affected vessel surfaces, their use and manufacturing costs.

Altmann's workshop made everyday vessels alongside vases, containers, jugs, cups and saucers, and coffee services. Relief decoration with classical motifs often drew on designs by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. The raised ornament distinguishes these wares from surfaces decorated only with painted patterns.

Altmann's work gained recognition beyond Bolesławiec. In 1844, he received an honorary award at the Berlin Crafts Exhibition.