Real Fábrica del Buen Retiro (popularly called ''La China''; "Royal Buen Retiro Porcelain Factory"; alternatively, Real Fábrica de Porcelana del Buen Retiro) was a

porcelain Porcelain (), also called china, is a ceramic material made by heating Industrial mineral, raw materials, generally including kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The greater strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to oth ...

manufacturing factory in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, owned by the

King of Spain The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish ...

. It was located in Madrid's Parque del Buen Retiro, Madrid on a site near the '' Fuente del Ángel Caído'', and operated between 1760 and 1817, when it moved location and changed its name. The factory began by moving the

Capodimonte porcelain Capodimonte porcelain (sometimes "Capo di Monte") is porcelain created by the Capodimonte porcelain manufactory (''Real Fabbrica di Capodimonte''), which operated in Naples, Italy, between 1743 and 1759. Capodimonte is the most significant fact ...

factory from

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

in 1760, after its founder there had inherited the Spanish throne as

Carlos III of Spain Charles III (; 20 January 1716 – 14 December 1788) was King of Spain in the years 1759 to 1788. He was also Duke of Parma and Piacenza, as Charles I (1731–1735); King of Naples, as Charles VII; and King of Sicily, as Charles III (or V) (1735� ...

. He took the equipment and about 40 key workers, including Giuseppe Gricci (c. 1700–1770), the main modeller, and nearly five tons of porcelain paste. Since the paste, the main artists, and the fleur-de-lys factory mark, were all used by both factories, distinguishing between their products from the years around the move can be very difficult. The factory continued to make soft paste porcelain until 1803, when it switched to

hard-paste porcelain Hard-paste porcelain, sometimes called "true porcelain", is a ceramic material that was originally made from a compound of the feldspathic rock petuntse and kaolin fired at a very high temperature, usually around 1400 °C. It was first made ...

; some pieces made were in fact

creamware Creamware is a cream-coloured refined earthenware with a lead glaze over a pale body, known in France as '' faïence fine'', in the Netherlands as ''Engels porselein'', and in Italy as ''terraglia inglese''.Osborne, 140 It was created about 175 ...

, an English style of fine

earthenware Earthenware is glazed or unglazed Vitrification#Ceramics, nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids ...

. The factory concentrated on figurines, especially of classical subjects, but also made tablewares and decorative vessels such as vases and pots. Porcelain rooms were installed at three royal palaces. Initially Gricci's style remained similar to the elegant

Rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

of his Naples works, but soon the newly-fashionable

Neoclassicism Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative arts, decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiq ...

became dominant, which remained the case throughout the life of the factory. The building was damaged in the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

, and in 1817 production was moved a short distance across Madrid, the enterprise becoming the Royal Factory of La Moncloa, again taking such moulds and equipment as survived, and the employees. This operated until 1849.

Porcelain rooms

Gricci had made a

chinoiserie (, ; loanword from French '' chinoiserie'', from '' chinois'', "Chinese"; ) is the European interpretation and imitation of Chinese and other Sinosphere artistic traditions, especially in the decorative arts, garden design, architecture, lite ...

porcelain room, the Porcelain boudoir of Maria Amalia of Saxony, at the

Palace of Portici The Royal Palace of Portici (''Reggia di Portici'' or ''Palazzo Reale di Portici''; ) is a former royal palace in Portici, Southeast of Naples along the coast, in the region of Campania, Italy. It now contains a museum complex (''Musei della Reg ...

near Naples (now moved to the

Palace of Capodimonte The Royal Palace of Capodimonte () is a large palazzo in Naples, Italy. It was formerly the summer residence and Jagdschloss, hunting lodge of the House of Bourbon, Bourbon kings of the Two Sicilies, one of the two royal palaces in Naples. Today, ...

), and was soon asked to make another one at the Palace of Aranjuez, which he made and installed between 1763 and 1765, at a cost of 571,555 Spanish reales.Battie, 104 The factory made another room, rather smaller and in a Neoclassical style, for the main

Palacio Real, Madrid The Royal Palace of Madrid () is the official residence of the Spanish royal family at the city of Madrid, although now used only for state ceremonies. The palace has of floor space and contains 3,418 rooms. It is the largest royal palace in Eu ...

. This was designed by Carlo Schepers in the 1770s, and cost 256,958 reales. Both these had walls largely of plain white plaques, over which lay a network of coloured elements in a medium to high

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

, made up of plant motifs and figures. The room at the small Casita del Principe, El Escorial was again Neoclassical, but with a very different appearance. The walls were almost entirely covered by 234 plaques in the style and technique of

Wedgwood Wedgwood is an English China (material), fine china, porcelain and luxury accessories manufacturer that was founded on 1 May 1759 by the potter and entrepreneur Josiah Wedgwood and was first incorporated in 1895 as Josiah Wedgwood and Sons L ...

jasperware Jasperware, or jasper ware, is a type of pottery first developed by Josiah Wedgwood in the 1770s. Usually described as stoneware, it has an unglazed matte "biscuit" finish and is produced in a number of different colours, of which the most com ...

, with a "Wedgwood blue" ground and the design in white biscuit porcelain in low

. These were applied as sprigs, meaning that they made separately as thin pieces, and stuck to the main blue body before firing. The plaques are framed like paintings; they were made between 1790 and 1795.

History

18th century

The factory was founded in 1760 on a site in the Buen Retiro park which at that time was the private gardens of a royal palace on the outskirts of Madrid. It was an initiative of

, who succeeded to the Spanish throne in 1759, and his wife,

Maria Amalia of Saxony Maria Amalia (Maria Amalia Christina Franziska Xaveria Flora Walburga; 24 November 1724 – 27 September 1760) was Queen of Spain from 10 August 1759 until her death in 1760 as the wife of King Charles III. Previously, she had been Queen of Nap ...

Prior to becoming King of Spain, Charles reigned as King of Naples and Sicily. A similar factory, the Porcellana di Capodimonte, had been established by the royal couple in Naples. Maria Amalia died in 1760, a year after moving to Madrid with her husband, but she was an important influence on both the Naples and the Madrid factories. 53 specialized

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

craftsmen from

came to Madrid, along with three shipments containing the necessary equipment and special paste, to establish a factory to produce royal porcelain in Madrid. Gaetano Schepers was in charge of the factory and ten Spanish artists were also associated with the manufacturing. The porcelain's quality was internationally recognized, and its manufacturing techniques were kept a state secret. Buen Retiro porcelain was one of the products that drove

mercantilist Mercantilism is a nationalist economic policy that is designed to maximize the exports and minimize the imports of an economy. It seeks to maximize the accumulation of resources within the country and use those resources for one-sided trade. ...

royal policy during the Spanish

Age of Enlightenment The Age of Enlightenment (also the Age of Reason and the Enlightenment) was a Europe, European Intellect, intellectual and Philosophy, philosophical movement active from the late 17th to early 19th century. Chiefly valuing knowledge gained th ...

. There were other factories in the Madrid area producing luxuries such as tapestries, glass etc.

19th century

The year 1803 marked a transition in the factory management from the Italian board of directors to the Spanish-born Bartolome Sureda y Miserol. During his career, Sureda directed several royal factories, including the Real Fábrica de Paños in

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...

, the Real Fábrica de Loza de la Moncloa, and the

Real Fábrica de Cristales de La Granja The Real Fábrica de Cristales de La Granja ("Royal Factory of Glass and Crystal of La Granja") is a glass factory in San Ildefonso near Segovia, Spain. It was built as a royal manufactory in the eighteenth century. It is south east of Segovia on ...

. The occupying French forces were driven out of Madrid in 1812, during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

, and the park became the scene of intense fighting. The factory building was fortified by the French, and attacked by the British.

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

, who was threatened with a counter-offensive, gave orders to burn the building and the factory ceased production. It has been suggested that the decision to destroy the factory was influenced by commercial rivalry as well as its strategic importance. In 1817, the factory was re-established on a new site in Madrid, becoming the Royal Factory of La Moncloa, founded by

Ferdinand VII Ferdinand VII (; 14 October 1784 – 29 September 1833) was King of Spain during the early 19th century. He reigned briefly in 1808 and then again from 1813 to his death in 1833. Before 1813 he was known as ''el Deseado'' (the Desired), and af ...

, who moved the Buen Retiro workshops and warehouses to La Moncloa. Sureda became director again in 1821. All of the employees of the destroyed factory were re-employed in the new one.

Collections

Apart from the porcelain rooms, covered above, a fine collection of porcelain from the factory is on display in the

Museo de Historia de Madrid The Museum of History of Madrid ()) is a history museum located on Calle de Fuencarral in downtown Madrid, Spain that chronicles the history of the city. It was opened as the ''Museo Municipal'' ("Municipal Museum") in 1929, and was renamed as the ...

. The

Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas The National Museum of Decorative Arts (; originally, National Museum of Industrial Arts) is a decorative arts museum in Madrid, Spain, devoted to the industrial or "minor arts", including furniture, ceramics, glass, and textiles. It is one of th ...

has a display, and some pieces are shown in the

Museo del Prado The Museo del Prado ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of Art of Europe, European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th ce ...

. Several other European and American museums display pieces.

Gallery

File:Endymion MET SF1995 268 347 img1.jpg, '' Endymion'', 1760s File:Harlequin MET ES6503.jpg,

Harlequin Harlequin (, , ; , ) is the best-known of the comic servant characters (Zanni) from the Italian commedia dell'arte, associated with the city of Bergamo. The role is traditionally believed to have been introduced by the Italian actor-manager Zan ...

, 1760s File:Pennställ. Porslin - Hallwylska museet - 87100 (cropped).tif, Writing set, 1760s or 1770s File:Child with Grapes MET SF1995 268 346 img2.jpg, Child with grapes, 1770s File:Vase with cover (one of a pair) MET DP103165 (cropped).jpg, Neoclassical covered vases, between 1784 and 1795, 18 3/4 in. (47.6 cm) high. Other sides File:Tureen with shellfish, Real Fabrica del Buen Retiro, Madri, 1771-1784 AD - Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas - Madrid, Spain - DSC08409.JPG, Tureen with sealife, 1771-1784 File:Centro de flores (Porcelana Buen Retiro, MAN 1982-85-5) 01.jpg, Bouquet of flowers, before 1783 File:Pan and Ceres, unidentified but apparently Real Fabrica del Buen Retiro, Madrid, 1790-1795 AD - Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas - Madrid, Spain - DSC08395.JPG, ''Pan and Ceres'', 1790-1795 File:Allegorical Figure Groups of the Arts and Virtues, 1 of 2, 18th century, Buen Retiro Porcelain Factory, Spain - Art Institute of Chicago - DSC09466.JPG, One of a pair of Allegorical Figure Groups of the Arts and Virtues File:Allegorical Figure Groups of the Arts and Virtues, detail of 1 of 2, 18th century, Buen Retiro Porcelain Factory, Spain - Art Institute of Chicago - DSC09471.JPG, Detail of last File:Simposiasta, Real Fabrica del Buen Retiro, Madrid, 1784-1803 AD - Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas - Madrid, Spain - DSC08406.JPG, Attendee at a

symposium In Ancient Greece, the symposium (, ''sympósion'', from συμπίνειν, ''sympínein'', 'to drink together') was the part of a banquet that took place after the meal, when drinking for pleasure was accompanied by music, dancing, recitals, o ...

, in biscuit porcelain including the

Jasperware Jasperware, or jasper ware, is a type of pottery first developed by Josiah Wedgwood in the 1770s. Usually described as stoneware, it has an unglazed matte "biscuit" finish and is produced in a number of different colours, of which the most com ...

blue, 1784-1803 File:Pennställ. Porslin. Märkning - Hallwylska museet - 87101.tif, The early form of the factory mark, a

fleur-de-lys The ''fleur-de-lis'', also spelled ''fleur-de-lys'' (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a common heraldic charge in the (stylized) shape of a lily (in French, and mean and respectively). Most notably, the ''fleur-de-lis'' ...

(upside down, from the writing-set).

Notes

References

* Battie, David, ed., ''Sotheby's Concise Encyclopedia of Porcelain'', 1990, Conran Octopus. *Le Corbellier, Clare
''Eighteenth-century Italian porcelain''
1985,

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

, (fully available online as PDF)

External links

Porcelana del Buen Retiro at Centro Virtual Cervantes, Instituto Cervantes
(in Spanish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Real Fábrica del Buen Retiro 1760 establishments in Spain 1812 disestablishments in Spain Ceramics manufacturers of Spain Companies established in 1760 Companies disestablished in 1812 Buildings and structures demolished in 1812 Manufacturing companies based in Madrid Defunct manufacturing companies of Spain Demolished buildings and structures in Madrid Buildings and structures in Spain demolished during the Peninsular War Industrial history of Spain Charles III of Spain Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington