The Swan Service was commissioned by Heinrich Graf von Brühl (1700-1763), the director of the Meissen factory from 1733-63, in 1737, on the occasion of his marriage to Maria Anna Franziska von Kolowrat-Krakowska. The arms are those of the count and countess. The molded decoration was modeled by J.J. Kändler with the assistance of J.F. Eberlein. The aquatic motifs represented in the molding, including the reeds and four waterfowl to the present dish as well as Neptunes, dolphins, crabs and mollusks elsewhere in the service, played on Count Brühl's name, which derived from the Middle German word for a swampy lowland. The emphasis on molding and three-dimensional decoration marked the start of a new chapter for Meissen, in contrast to the emphasis on colorful enamel decoration that had predominated since the 1720s. The Swan Service would appear to be the largest service produced in the 18^th century and R. Rückert, Meissener Porzellan, Munich, 1966, p. 118, estimates its original size to have been between 2,200 and 2,400 pieces. Rückert notes that although the intricately molded surfaces of the the Swan Service's dishes may been impractical for eating, they doubtless produced a magnificent effect as display pieces. The modeling of dishes in five sizes began in 1738. For a full discussion of the service see Ulrich Pietsch (ed.), Schwanenservice - Meissener Porzellan für Heinrich Graf von Brühl, Leipzig, 2000.