Cup

Art Historical Context

This delicate cup, crafted during the Claudius Innocentius du Paquier period in Vienna around 1730–35, exemplifies the early triumphs of Austrian hard-paste porcelain. at du Paquier's pioneering manufactory—the first in Vienna to master this demanding medium—the cup measures a dainty 3 × 3 7/8 inches, perfect for intimate sips of coffee or chocolate, beverages then sweeping European high society. Hard-paste, fired at intense temperatures from kaolin clay, yielded a translucent, durable body rivaling prized Chinese imports and Meissen wares from nearby Saxony. Viennese potters like those at du...