Cup and Saucer
Unknown Artist
18th century
Medium
Stonepaste; polychrome painted under transparent glaze
Dimensions
Cup (a): H. 2 in. (5.1 cm) Diam. 2 3/4 in. (7 cm) Saucer (b): H. 1 in. (2.5 cm) Diam. 4 in. (10.2 cm)
Classification
Ceramics
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1906
Accession Number
06.338a, b
Art Historical Context
This elegant 18th-century cup saucer, crafted from stonepaste—a fine, white-bodied ceramic prized in the Islamic world for mimicking Chinese porcelain—exemplifies the technical mastery of Middle Eastern potters. The medium features polychrome painting under a transparent glaze, vibrant colors to shimmer through protecting the intricate designs. Measuring a dainty 2 inches high for the cup and 4 inches across for the saucer, set was perfectly suited for intimate servings of tea or coffee, beverages central to Ottoman and Persian social rituals. In the Islamic ceramics tradition, stonepaste eme...