A Life Dedicated to Porcelain
Born in Berlin, Germany, Carl Daniel Freydanck spent much of his professional life within the walls of the Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin. His journey began at the age of thirteen when he started an apprenticeship as a painter at the manufactory. During this formative period, he also attended the drawing school of Professor Carl Röthig at the Royal Botanical Garden in Berlin. By 1831, he was working in the underglaze painting department. His technical skill led to further training under Professor Otto Hermann Emil Völcker, eventually resulting in his assignment to the landscape painters in 1837. In this role, he produced sketches and oil paintings of veduten to serve as essential templates for the porcelain painters.
The Art of the Vedute
Freydanck’s work was characterized by a precise and extraordinary depiction of landscapes and architecture. His commissions often included travels to document significant sites, such as a journey to the Hirschberger Valley in Silesia to sketch castles and churches, and a trip to the Rhine province to capture views of castles like Stolzenfels and Brühl. His artistic output was largely kept anonymous during his lifetime, as the porcelain painters themselves remained unnamed. His legacy is preserved in the KPM archives, which hold approximately 250 oil paintings and numerous sketches. Beyond his landscape work, he also executed two masterful depictions of the Friedrichswerder Church and the Old Mint directly onto porcelain plates.
