Lot 18 Dα

In 1761, in the midst of war, King Frederick's court councillor Leining ordered a new service, which he described in detail: "With regard to the decoration, it should be noted that no colour other than red, and indeed of the colour which the King of Poland's majesty excellently loves, mixed with gold, should be applied to the entire service". In addition to the colour, he also goes into detail about the design, describing the red scale pattern decor picked out in gold, stating that the king requested the background of the pieces to be painted with "a delicate Indian flower, also red with gold, but all applied as lightly as possible".
The service with a "Prussian musical design" became known under the name "Möllendorf Service" because Frederick II presented it to his General Wichard von Möllendorf, who had begun employment under him as a page. Möllendorf was one of Frederick's most important confidants during the Seven Years' War and was responsible for a decisive turn in Prussian fortunes during the year the service was created, namely the reconquest of Silesia in 1762. He later became a field marshal general, accompanied Frederick William III into the field in 1806 at the age of 82 and died of old age in 1816. Prince Heinrich immortalised the name Möllendorf on the Rheinsberg obelisk in the 1790s to commemorate his outstanding military achievements.