Cup and Saucer
1750–75
Medium
Porcelain (soft-paste)
Dimensions
Cup: 2 5/8 x 2 1/4 in. (6.7 x 5.7 cm) Saucer: Diam. 4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm)
Classification
Cup and saucer
Culture
British
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1927
Accession Number
27.17.29, .30
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate cup and saucer, produced by the Worcester Porcelain Factory between 1750 and 1775, exemplifies the golden age of English soft-paste porcelain. Founded around 1751 in Worcestershire, England, the factory quickly rose to prominence as a rival to Chinese imports, mastering affordable yet elegant tableware for the growing middle class. Soft-paste, made from a mixture of white clay, ground glass, and soapstone, allowed for intricate molding and decoration at lower firing temperatures than true hard-paste, enabling vibrant colors and fine details. Adorned with motifs of animals and me...
About the Artist
Worcester Factory · 1751–2008
The Worcester porcelain factory, established in 1751 in Worcester, England, by physician Dr. John Wall and apothecary William Davis along with 14 partners, marked the birth of one of Britain's most enduring ceramic enterprises. Investing £4,500 at Warmstry House on the River Severn, the founders drew on contacts with the Bristol porcelain manufactory to develop a novel soft-paste porcelain using s...