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The six teacups and the little teapot you see here, each presented on a miniature diamond-studded console are not made of porcelain, but silver covered in enamel. The secret of making porcelain wasn’t known in Saxony at the time.

The tea set was part of August the Strong’s collection of rare and precious objects. We know exactly what that collection consisted of...because a detailed list was compiled in 1705, when August pawned one hundred and two items. At the time, it looked as though Sweden was about to invade Saxony. Pawning his treasures was a ploy to save them from the Swedish king’s clutches. Just nine years later, August had them brought back to Dresden.

The decoration features an “elector’s cap” – part of the regalia of the Electors. Now, we know that Frederick Augustus the First – or “August the Strong”, as he’s usually called – became Elector of Saxony in 1694. Just three years later, he also became King of Poland and Lithuania. From that point on, he only ever used a crown as a symbol of his ownership.  So this tea-set must have been made between 1694 and 1697.

The little screen, which sets off the cups beautifully, was a style of presentation that August knew from Versailles. As a young Duke, he had spent some time at the French court. Unfortunately, we don’t know who made this charming tea-set. However, Johann Melchior Dinglinger perfected the genre with his truly magnificent golden coffee service, which you’ll see in the next room.