Basket
c. 1770
Medium
Soft-paste porcelain with polychrome enamels and gilding
Dimensions
27 × 20.8 × 11.5 cm (10 9/16 × 8 3/16 × 4 1/2 in.)
Classification
tableware
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
76481
Art Historical Context
Step into the elegant world of 18th British porcelain with this charming *Basket* from the Worcestercelain Factory, crafted around 1770. Measuring a substantial 27 × 20.8 × 11.5 cm, this piece exemplifies the factory's mastery of soft-paste porcelain—a creamy, translucent material that was England's innovative response to costly imported Chinese wares before the advent of true hard-paste porcelain. Adorned with vibrant polychrome enamels and gilding, it served as luxurious tableware, perhaps for displaying sweets or fruits at grand dinners. Worcester, established in 1751, rose to prominence i...
About the Artist
Worcester Porcelain Factory · 1751–1783
**Worcester Porcelain Factory (1751–1783)** The Worcester Porcelain Factory, often called the Dr. Wall Period, was established in 1751 in Worcester, England, by physician Dr. John Wall and apothecary William Davis, who rallied 13 local businessmen to invest £4,500. Site at Warmstry House on the River Severn, the "Worcester Tonquin Manufactory" produced soft-paste porcelain using a steatite (soapr...