"The said Knipfer offers to make and varnish porcelain, and to employ gold and silver in its decoration, and in that of the ordinary wares; likewise the colours of crimson, purple, violet, blues of different shades, yellow, greens, browns, reds, and black.
"That Knipfer will give up an account of his secrets, and the management and manner of using them, in order that in all times the truth of what he has asserted may be verified."
From the original documents which exist we gather that Knipfer was chiefly famed for his excellence in the painting and decoration of porcelain.
François Martin was engaged in 1774 for his skill in preparing different pastes for manufacturing porcelain and pipeclay. He agreed to make "hard paste porcelain, Japanese faïence, English paste (pipeclay), and likewise to mould and bake it. The necessary materials were to be provided by the Count of Aranda." His expenses were to be paid if the specimens he presented to the competent authorities gave a satisfactory result, and his salary was to be increased to 1200 francs a year.
Knipfer and Martin greatly added to the importance of the works made at the manufactory. Don Pedro Abadia, the Count's steward, an intelligent man, possessing great scientific knowledge, who had studied this subject in Paris and London, writes to the Count that the presence of both these artists was of absolute necessity at Alcora, "until the workmen who were near them perfected themselves." For owing to the carelessness of the managers of the porcelain works in 1776 Count Aranda wrote from Paris, during his embassy there: "My pottery of Alcora, notwithstanding every effort which has been made, the money spent, and foreign masters which have been brought over, gets worse every day instead of improving." Abadia repeats this in his reports. Porcelain of other kinds decidedly improved. He says also that the pipeclay which Martin had found at Alcora was the best in Europe.
In my opinion, a large number of unmarked white biscuit and demi-porcelain figures which are so constantly found in collections belong to this period of the manufactory of Alcora. They have hitherto been classified with very great difficulty, and attributed to the porcelain manufactory of Buen Retiro, without any reason which justifies this opinion. For the help of collectors I will mention the subjects which they represent, which I have found in a document, dated 1777, of the figures and groups and other objects made during that year.
FIGURES OF DEMI-PORCELAIN.
- Figures of tritons.
- "of soldiers, two sizes.
- ""one-third palmos high.
- "of the four seasons (two sizes).
- "of dancers.
- "of tritons in form of children.
- "with brackets.
- "of different animals.
- "of gardener and female companion in the Dresden style.
- Dancing figures in the German style.
- Figures of Neptune.
- Figures of shepherd and shepherdess.
- "of the Moorish king, Armenius.
- "of the four parts of the world, two sizes.
- "of peasant and his wife.
- Small figures holding musical instruments.
- Figures representing different monarchies.
- ""historical personages.
- ""the history of Alexander the Great, two sizes.
- ""Marius Curtius, two sizes.
- "of elephants.
- "of a man mounted on an elephant.
- "representing Chinese figures.
- "of Heliogabalus.
- "of a general on horseback.
- "of a grenadier supporting a candlestick.
- Large figures representing Julius Cæsar.
- Figures representing the different costumes worn in Spain, on brackets.
- Groups of Chinese figures.
- Snuff-boxes, sugar basins, inkstands.
- Rabbits, horns, and pug dogs for holding scent.
- Small scent bottles.
- Needle cases.
- Large vases with foot and cover.
- Brackets.
- Walking-stick handles.
- Knife handles.
- Tea-spoons.
FIGURES OF WHITE BISCUIT CHINA.
- Figures representing Spanish costumes, two sizes.
- Groups of two figures.
- Large and small figures of the four parts of the world.
- Figures of the four seasons, two sizes.