Cup and Saucer
Medium
Hard-paste porcelain, dark blue ground, polychrome enamels, and gilding
Dimensions
Saucer: 3.4 × 13.4 cm (1 5/16 × 5 1/4 in.); Cup: 10.8 × 8 × 7.7 cm (4 1/4 × 3 1/8 × 3 in.)
Classification
drinking vessel
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
182581
Art Historical Context
This elegant cup and saucer, by the Denuellecelain Manufactory around1820, exemplifies the artistry of early 19th-century European. Made from durable hard-paste porcelain—a-fired material prized for its translucency and strength resembling fine Chinese exports—the piece features a luxurious dark blue ground enriched with vibrant polychrome enamels and gilding. The saucer's 13.4 cm diameter the cup's graceful 10.8 cm height make it perfectly suited for intimate tea or rituals, blending functionality with opulence. In the post-Napoleonic era, such drinking vessels were status symbols in affluen...