Cup and saucer
Unknown Artist
19th century
Medium
Hard-paste porcelain
Dimensions
Height (cup .5a): 3 3/16 in. (8.1 cm); Diameter (saucer .5b): 5 3/8 in. (13.7 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
German
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Margarette A. Jones, 1906
Accession Number
07.233.5a, b
Art Historical Context
This delicate cup and saucer, crafted in 19th-century Germany from hard-paste porcelain, exemplifies pinnacle of European ceramic innovation. Measuring just 3 3/16 inches tall the cup and 5 3/8 inches across saucer, these diminutive objects were designed for intimate tea or coffee rituals, blending functionality with refined elegance. Hard-paste porcelain, a kaolin-based formula first perfected by German makers like Meissen in the early 1700s, allowed for translucent, durable pieces that rivaled prized Chinese imports—once a closely guarded secret that sparked industrial espionage across Europ...