The Porzellansammlung is the most important and, with around 20,000 items, the largest specialized ceramic collection in the world. It owes its existence to Augustus the Strong, who, with some self-irony, described his passion for this costly and fragile material as a "maladie de porcelaine" - a porcelain sickness. Thanks to an outstanding collection of early Meissen pieces it is possible to trace the development of porcelain at Meissen, from its invention in 1708 to the late eighteenth century, through individual works of the highest quality. Equally impressive is the collection of Chinese and Japanese porcelain. Today the finest pieces appear in their full splendour in the magnificent interior of the Zwinger, complemented by a view of the Baroque courtyard.