Cup
18th century
Medium
Hard-paste porcelain
Dimensions
Height: 2 5/8 in. (6.7 cm); Diameter: 2 3/8 in. (6 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
German, Meissen
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Alfred Duane Pell, 1902
Accession Number
02.6.279
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite cup from the Meissen Manactory exemplifies the pinnacle of 18th-century European porcelain. Founded in 1710 near Dresden, Germany, Meissen was the first factory to successfully produce hard-paste porcelain durable, translucent material made from kaolin, feldspar, and, fired at intensely high temperatures. This breakthrough allowed Europe to rival the coveted Chinese and Japanese imports that had dominated markets for centuries, transforming porcelain from an exotic luxury into a symbol royal prestige under patrons like Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony. Crafted in the Roco...
About the Artist
Meissen Manufactory · 1710–present
The Meissen Manufactory, established on June 6, 1710, by Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, marked the dawn of true hard-paste porcelain production in Europe. Nestled at Albrechtsburg Castle in Meissen near Dresden, the Royal Polish and Electoral Saxon Porcelain Manufactory arose from alchemical experiments begun in 1708 by physicist Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus and p...