Cup and Saucer
1780/95
Medium
Soft-paste porcelain, polychrome enamels and gilding
Dimensions
Cup: 6.3 × 6.7 cm (2 1/2 × 2 5/8 in.)
Classification
drinking vessel
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
69449
Art Historical Context
This delicate cup and sa, crafted by the renowned Derby Porcelain Manactory between 1780 1795, exemplifies height of English porcelain artistry the late 18th. Derby, one of leading factories after pioneers like Chelsea and Worcester specialized in soft-paste porcelain refined material blending clay, ground glass (frit), and other ingredients to achieve a translucency prized for elegance over the harder French hard-paste. The piece showcases masterful polychrome enamels, vibrant overglaze colors applied and fired at low temperatures for intricate floral or scenic motifs, paired with lavish gil...
About the Artist
Derby Porcelain Manufactory · 1751–1785
The Derby Porcelain Manufactory stands as one of the foundational institutions of British ceramic art, producing some of the finest figures and tablewares made in England during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Its origins can be traced to the work of André Planché, a Huguenot immigrant from Saxony who settled in Derby around 1745 and began producing soft-paste porcelain figures and ...