Coffee Service
Medium
Hard-paste porcelain, monochrome black (Schwartzlot), polychrome enamels, and gilding
Dimensions
Diam.: 55.9 cm (22 in.); Tray: H.: 15.9 cm (6 1/4 in.); Coffee Pot: H.: 30.5 cm (12 in.)
Classification
teaware
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
58420
Art Historical Context
This elegant Coffee Service, crafted by the renowned Vienna State Porcelain Manactory around 1770, exemplifies the pinnacle of18th-century European porcelain. Produced under imperial patronage, the manufactory—founded in 1718—was celebrated for its technical innovation and luxurious designs, catering to the aristocracy's taste for refined domestic splendor. The, including a grand tray (55.9 cm in diameter), coffee pot (30.5 cm high), and accompanying pieces, was designed for intimate social rituals, reflecting coffee's rising popularity as a fashionable beverage in Habsburg courts. The servic...