1795–1850
T
painted, underglaze, overglaze · dark blue or purple · porcelain · Thuringia, Germany
Drawn version, in dark blue underglaze or purple overglaze.
Pottery & porcelain
Tettau porcelain marks
The name “ROYAL BAYREUTH T 1794 GERMANY” appears among Tettau porcelain marks on porcelain from Germany. Its mark period is 1902.
- Active years
- From 1794
- Country
- Germany
- City / region
- Tettau, Bavaria, Thuringia
- Products
- porcelain, tableware, household porcelain, coffee and tea services, dinnerware, decorative and export porcelain
- Marks
- 13
Founded 1794. Local production ended in the late 2010s; Tettau branding continued within Seltmann.
What to look for
- Read TETTAU, any royal wording and country text with the T or lion emblem. US ZONE is a postwar context; 1794 is the factory foundation.
- Royal Bayreuth is associated with manufacture at Tettau, despite the different town name.
- A plain early T and a later elaborate royal/export stamp need separate comparisons; do not date both from 1794.
Dated marks & timeline
13 marks
1795–1850
painted, underglaze, overglaze · dark blue or purple · porcelain
painted, underglaze, overglaze · dark blue or purple · porcelain · Thuringia, Germany
Variant 5.
1795–1850
painted · dark blue or purple · porcelain
painted · dark blue or purple · porcelain · Thuringia, Germany
Example 2: dark-blue underglaze or purple overglaze drawn mark.
1795–1850
T
painted, underglaze, overglaze · dark blue or purple · porcelain · Thuringia, Germany
Drawn version, in dark blue underglaze or purple overglaze.
1795–1850
painted, underglaze, overglaze · dark blue or purple · porcelain
painted, underglaze, overglaze · dark blue or purple · porcelain · Thuringia, Germany
Drawn version, in dark blue underglaze or purple overglaze.
1795–1850
T
painted, underglaze, overglaze · dark blue or purple · porcelain · Thuringia, Germany
Variant 7.
1795–1850
T
painted, underglaze, overglaze · dark blue or purple · porcelain · Thuringia, Germany
Drawn version, in dark blue underglaze or purple overglaze.
After 1902
ROYAL BAYREUTH T 1794 GERMANY
This printed mark dates to the late nineteenth or twentieth century.
printed · various colours · porcelain · Germany
Exact layout compared to PM&M illustration tettau-01-18, described as used after 1902. The 1794 inscription is the works’ foundation date.
After 1968
ROYAL BAYREUTH T 1794 GERMANY
Late nineteenth to twentieth century.
printed · various colours · porcelain · Germany
Exact layout compared to PM&M illustration tettau-01-45, described as used after 1968. The 1794 inscription is the works’ foundation date.
After 1968
Royal Tettau 1794
Late nineteenth to twentieth century.
printed · various colours · porcelain · Germany
Exact layout compared to PM&M illustration tettau-01-44, described as used after 1968. The 1794 inscription is the works’ foundation date.
About Tettau
The Tettau porcelain factory received its royal concession in December 1794 after support from Alexander von Humboldt. Johann Friedrich Paul Schmidt and members of the Greiner family established the works in Tettau, now in Bavaria. Early production concentrated on household porcelain, including coffee, tea and cocoa sets and complete dinner services. A simple T became an important early identifier.
Ownership passed from the Greiner family to Ferdinand Klaus in 1852, then to successive partnerships involving Wilhelm Sontag, Karl Birkner and Ludwig Maisel. A major fire destroyed the factory in 1897, after which it was rebuilt and enlarged. The business became a stock company in 1915 and entered the Seltmann Weiden group in 1957.
Later production emphasized fine coffee and tea services alongside decorative and export wares. Royal Tettau and Royal Bayreuth occur among the names associated with its products. The 1794 printed within many later marks celebrates the foundation rather than dating the object. Local production ended in the late 2010s, while Tettau remained a name in Seltmann’s porcelain range.
Also known as: Royal Tettau · Königlich privilegierte Porzellanfabrik Tettau · Royal Bayreuth · Porzellanmanufaktur Tettau A.G. · Königlich privilegierte Porzellanmanufaktur Tettau
Look-alikes & how to tell them apart
Trettau
The extra r is easily overlooked in descriptions.
TRE TTAU wording belongs to a separate decorating brand; read the spelling and any surviving blank-factory mark. It is not the Tettau factory.
Neue Tettau / Gerold
Another porcelain business used Tettau in its name.
NP, NEU TETTAU and GEROLD identify that separate business; compare them with the royal Tettau wording and T/lion variants.