Cup and saucer
Unknown Artist
late 18th century
Medium
Hard-paste porcelain
Dimensions
Overall (cup .49): 2 1/4 × 3 5/8 in. (5.7 × 9.2 cm); Overall (saucer .50): 1 1/4 × 5 1/2 in. (3.2 × 14 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain-Export
Culture
Chinese, possibly for British market
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of W. Gedney Beatty, 1941
Accession Number
41.160.49, .50
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate cup and saucer, crafted in hard-paste porcelain by an unknown Chinese artist in the late 18th century, exemplifies the exquisite export wares that fueled global trade during the era. Produced for the British market, these pieces were part of China's booming porcelain industry, which supplied Europe's elite with luxury goods via the East India Company. Hard-paste porcelain, fired at high temperatures for exceptional durability and translucency, represented a pinnacle of technical mastery, far surpassing European imitations at the time. Adorned with finely painted landscapes and s...