TIME!

There is one place where wearing white is compulsory, but slowing down is strictly forbidden: Centre Court at Wimbledon. This afternoon, the men's final will be played for the 139th time, with serves reaching speeds of 146 km/h as the players compete for the trophy crowned by its famous golden pineapple. It is an event that captivates far more than tennis fans. Why this brief detour onto the sacred grass? Because tennis and porcelain have more in common than their colour. Whether it is a backhand or a painted brushstroke, both demand precision. Players and artisans alike rely on patience and concentration. Tennis balls and porcelain paste both wait under carefully controlled conditions before their moment arrives. What appears effortless and beautiful to the spectator is the result of years of practice. And finally, tournaments such as Wimbledon, like the Porzellan Manufaktur Nymphenburg itself, honour traditions that have been cultivated for centuries. Admittedly, it is rather easier to hold a porcelain trophy than Wimbledon’s 46-centimetre gilded cup. Match point for our vases.

AT A SNAIL'S PACE: MY FAVOURITE PIECE

Anyone who has spent time with Ingrid Harding at the manufactory is reminded of the fable The Hare and the Hedgehog. Somehow, she always seems to be there already: in the office, in the workshops, in the park or in the old kiln hall. As Head of Product Development, she negotiates collections with artists, advises clients and is often the first and last pair of hands to touch a new project. The American-born ceramicist joined the Porzellan Manufaktur in 1990 after studying art and ceramics. Over more than three decades, she has learned that sometimes the simple act of pausing can work wonders. One of her four favourite pieces, all artist collaborations, came about quite by chance during a shared break with the Dutch artist Hella Jongerius. "Hella spontaneously placed a porcelain snail into a bowl in the figurine workshop and laughed at the curious sight. A little later she disappeared into the painting studio and gave the snail a trail of golden flowers. That was the beginning of an entire collection of animal bowls," Ingrid Harding recalls. Her other porcelain favourites are Ted Muehling's Volute Bowl, Ruth Gurvich's paper-like Lightscape edition, and Gentiana Alba by Studio Faubel, originally designed for the historic parlour of the Falkenhütte in the Karwendel mountains—a place at 1,848 metres above sea level where life naturally unfolds at a gentler pace.