Among the several objects my mother bequeathed to me is a porcelain figurine manufactured by the German Meissen company. My fascination with Meissen’s pure white porcelain piqued my interest in The Porcelain Maker a historical novel by Sarah Freethy. At its core, the novel is a love story structured around exquisite objects d’art. It also unravels the dark history of the Allach porcelain factory operated by slave labor in Dachau, the concentration camp near Munich --- beloved of Nazi thug Heinrich Himmler.
Alternating between two time periods, The Porcelain Maker opens in 1993 at an auction house in Cincinnati. Here we find Clara Vogel, daughter of German artist, the recently deceased Bettina Vogel. The auctioneer notes Clara’s purchase of several porcelain figurines---a rabbit, a lamb, a Viking--- all hallmarked with the trademark logo--dual strikes of lightning —an unmistakable insignia that marks its authenticity as well as its history. The Viking figurine, Clara reveals, may have a connection to the identity of her father whom she never knew and about whom her mother Bettina never spoke.
The narrative pivots to 1929 Berlin where Bettina “a girl from good, strong, German, farming stock” and Max Ehrlich a Jewish student in the Bauhaus School of Architecture celebrate the “avant-garde“ movement of abstract expressionism. Fully embracing its liberal values, the two young artists move in together with dreams to create a brilliant future just as the political climate in Germany darkens.
Brown-shirted gangs appear on the streets and, almost imperceptibly, more and more restrictions put the young lovers’ relationship in imminent danger. Art by Chagall, Dada and Kandinsky is labeled “degenerate.” All forms of expressionist art are confiscated or censored and replaced by the glory of the Reich represented by Arno Breker or Werner Peiner’s realism.
Forced to abandon his dreams of creating great architecture Max’s forged ID allows him to find work at the Allach porcelain factory where he skillfully produces high quality decorative knickknacks, kitschy collectables made from pure “German” clay. The sale of Bettina‘s painting -- a heroic Viking that readily comports with the Teutonic ideals of romantic realism-- provides funds for the lovers to flee Germany.
Their plans go awry when Bettina learns Max has been dumped into Dachau concentration camp. His identity exposed, Max becomes a prisoner under its notorious commandant, Heinrich Himmler. Bettina understands she has only one option to rescue Max. She accepts a marriage proposal from a high-ranking Nazi official, her ticket into Dachau. Is Clara’s father a Nazi? Or is the story of Clara Vogel’s parentage far more complicated?
A saga of two artists, caught at the crossroads of boundless imagination and the boundaries of reality, The Porcelain Maker will keep you engaged in a tangled plot with a surprising resolution.
