A very rare early Meissen chocolate cup, circa 1715-20Decorated in the workshop of George Funcke, Dresden, with fine gilt and silver decoration depicting a hunting landscape vignette depicting figures amidst trees, gilt bands to the rim and footrim, the interior gilt, the handle of angular shape, 7cm high注脚Provenance:The Collections of the Grand Dukes and Margraves of Baden, sold Sotheby's Baden-Baden, 7 October 1995, lot 1335 (one of a pair);With H. Reichert, MunichLiterature:Claus Boltz, Die wöchentlichen Berichte über die Tätigkeit der Meissner Dreher und Former vom 6. Juni 1722 bis 31. Dezember 1728, in Keramos 178 (2002), ill. 35George Funcke is recorded as a supplier to the manufactory (based in Dresden) of porcelain decoration in gold, silver and muffle-kiln colours from 13th May 1713. An unsigned note in the manufactory archive of 6 June 1719 records that "George Funcke, Goldarbeiter hat in der Königl.und Churfl.Porcellain Factur. Sechs Jahr daß Porcellain gemahlet mit allerhand bunten farben und auch Solches in Feuer gebrant auch Gold und Silber auf daß Porcellain zu bringen sich beflißen..." [George Funcke, goldsmith, has painted porcelain with all sorts of colours and fired them for six years (ie. since 1713) and has also brought silver and gold on the porcelain] (quoted by R. Rückert, Biographische Daten der Meißener Manufakturisten des 18. Jahrhunderts (1990), p. 147). On 6 March 1722, Georg Funcke reported that "iezo emaillirte er Gold und Silber untereinander" [now he can enamel gold and silver together] (quoted by C. Boltz, op. cit., p. 45).