Coffee cup (part of a service)
ca. 1760
Medium
Hard-paste porcelain
Dimensions
H. 3 in. (7.6 cm.); Diam. 2 7/8 in. (7.3 cm.)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
Italian, Florence
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of George F. Baker, 1931
Accession Number
31.132.5
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant coffee cup, created around 1760 by the Doccia Porcelain Manufactory in Florence, exemplifies the refined taste of 18th-century European tableware. As part of a larger service, it reflects the growing fashion for porcelain coffee and tea sets among the Italian aristocracy. The small scale—standing just three inches high—highlights the intimate, personal nature of such objects, designed for daily rituals yet crafted with artistic care. Made of hard-paste porcelain, the cup demonstrates the technical achievements of Italian ceramic production during this period. This durable materia...
About the Artist
Doccia Porcelain Manufactory · 1737–1896
The Doccia Porcelain Manufactory, founded in 1737 by Marquis Carlo Ginori near Florence, holds the distinction of being Italy's first hard-paste porcelain manufacturer and one of the few European porcelain enterprises to survive from the eighteenth century to the present day without interruption. Unlike most contemporary ventures — which depended on the patronage and protection of ruling courts — ...