Abtsbessingen Faience

Abtsbessingen faience, tin-glazed earthenware produced in a factory in the village of Abtsbessingen, Thuringia (now in Germany), which flourished probably from the first half of the 18th century to about 1816. A hayfork factory mark indicates the patronage of the prince of Schwarzburg. Ordinary wares such as flower vases, tankards, and jugs are thick-bodied and have a creamy glaze; decorations in either blue or polychrome are common. Abtsbessingen remained a modest imitator of the more important German court factories.