German, Limbach

The Limbach porcelain factory was founded in 1772 by glass maker Gotthelf Greiner. Located in the Thuringia region of Germany, the Limbach factory primarily produced objects for daily use, like tablewares, rather than decorative objects. However, the factory also became known for its production of figural sculptures, some with distinctively large heads. The subjects of these figures were often rural or small-town people painted in vibrant patterns and colors.

Though the first porcelains produced by the factory had a yellowish color, the Limbach factory later achieved a purer white porcelain. The Limbach factory specialized in blue-painted porcelain, monochrome and polychrome flowers, painted landscapes, often in purple monochrome, and gilding. Many of Limbach's porcelain painters were recruited from local Thuringian artists, but some were specialists imported from other German porcelain factories.

After Gotthelf Greiner's death in the 1790s, the factory was inherited by his five sons. The factory remained in existence into the twentieth century.