Similar to the sphinx, hippogriff and pegasus, the gryphon belongs to the chimaeras, fantasy hybrid creatures that are composed of several animals and combine their strengths and characteristics.
The new "Winged Lioness" in this year's Christmas collection from MEISSEN is also such a chimaera: half gryphon, half dragon, the new décor creation embodies a powerful mythical creature that immediately captivates us. The magnificent eagle wings identify it as a creature of the sky and the air, evoking associations with winged sphinxes and mighty angels.
Unlike the gryphon, however, the Winged Lioness of Meissen does not have the head of a bird of prey but, matches the body, that of a female lion with dragon-like features, which opens up additional scope for fantasy and interpretation. The lion symbolises strength and power, loyalty and might. The winged dragon stands - especially in China - for goodness, luck and intelligence.
Symbolic is also the inclusion of the snake, which holds the lioness with its paws on the ground, as an image of the victory of good over evil and death.
Die inspiration for the Winged Lioness goes back to a drawing by the French sculptor Michel Joseph Napoléon Liénard (1810-1870), who immortalised, among other things, a wealth of fantastic animal depictions in his work Spécimens de la Décoration et de l'Ornementation au XIXe Siècle (1866).

The dynamic and power of the winged lioness fascinated the designers of the porcelain manufactory so much that an adaptation of the proud animal found its way onto various vide poches, mugs and Christmas tree balls. A forest-like petrol green - the Christmas colour of 2022 - brings mysticism and Christmas spirit to the porcelain and sets off the precious gold drawings particularly well.

With the 2022 Christmas Collection, the porcelain manufactory is continuing an annual tradition of launching a collection of vide poches, mugs and Christmas balls on the market at Christmas time. Thus the Winged Lioness is not only a fantastic new décor creation but also a wonderful addition to the previous Christmas collections. Collectors and lovers of MEISSEN can now add this inspiring new creation to the Amaryllis collection from 2021 and the Stag collection from 2020.

Whether for yourself to decorate your home or to give as a gift to your loved ones: let yourself be "inspired" by our lioness. Give the gift of MEISSEN - and with it a fantastic journey into the (Christmas) land of myths and inexhaustible imagination.