Beethoven also found decorative entry into life in East Germany. The porcelain group was first produced in 1954 in the Sitzendorf Manufactory in Thuringia. It is based on an engraving by Albert Graefle from 1876, where only male friends of Beethoven are depicted. Female figures were added to the porcelain group. This piece once belonged to the first and only president of the GDR, Wilhelm Pieck (1876–1960).