The ancient porcelain company Rosenthal was founded in 1879 as a family business. Its founder, Philipp Rosenthal, moved his porcelain coloring workshop from Werl, North Rhine-Westphalia, to Erkerschreit, Selb, Bavaria. In 1897 he established the companies Bauer, Rosenthal & Co. in Kronach and Philipp Rosenthal & Co. AG. It later acquired the Thomas porcelain factory in Marktredwitz and Zeidler & Co. In 1921, the company became a shareholder in the porcelain manufacturer Krister Porzellan-Manufaktur (KPM) in Walbrzych, and from 1936 it was fully taken over by the Rosenthal Group. After the factory closed in 1945, the brand was revived in 1951 and continued until 1971.

During the period of National Socialism, Philipp Rosenthal was forced to leave the company because of his Jewish background in 1934. Despite attempts to limit his influence on the management and supervisory boards, the Nazis did not take direct action against him because of concerns about the company’s international reputation. Philip Rosenthal’s death in 1937 opened the way for heirs and an anti-Semitic executive committee. In 1936 Rosenthal also acquired the porcelain factories in Waldershof and Thomas in Weidenberg, and in 1939 Rosenthal Isolatoren GmbH (RIG) was established.

In 1950, the leadership of the company passed to the founder’s son, Philip Rosenthal Jr. who returned from Great Britain after the war. Under his leadership, the company became a leader in porcelain design. In 1960 the Rosenthal Studiohaus design studio in Nuremberg was opened, and in 1972 the Rosenthal Einrichtung furniture factory was opened.

From the early 1950s Rosenthal began to work closely with famous designers and artists, which was reflected in the design of the products. Today, more than 150 artists and designers collaborate with the company, including such names as Walter Gropius, Luigi Colani, Mario Bellini, Aldo Rossi, Jasper Morrison, Dorothy Hafner, Paul Wunderlich, Ron Arad, Enzo Mari and Konstantin Grcic.

The beginning of cooperation with the Italian brand Versace was a new turn for Rosenthal in 1992. The processes were built by Gianni Versace, who sought to realize the Versace lifestyle concept. The first collections were very extravagant and were not to everyone’s taste. But thanks to the rapid development of the two ingenious companies, exquisite products with a unique and colorful design over time have become a favorite of many connoisseurs of exclusive tableware.

For the first time, the ornaments of the Gorgon’s head and the elements of Greek mythology, which Gianni revered so much, began to appear in the ornamentation of the pieces. They significantly enriched and decorated the products of exquisite porcelain, giving uniqueness and special luxury. After the death of Gianni Versace, the collaboration between Rosenthal and Versace continued under the leadership of Donatella Versace. Rosenthal meets Versace continues to surprise and express the concepts of the Versace fashion collections in its products.