Cup (part of a service)

Art Historical Context

This delicate cup, crafted around 1770 at the renowned Frankenthal Porcelain Manufactory in Germany during the Karl Theodor period, exemplifies the height of 18th-century European porcelain. Produced under the patronage of Elector Palatine Karl Theodor who elevated the factory to rival Meissen and Sèvres, the piece is made of hard-paste porcelain technically advanced material fired at high temperatures for exceptional translucency and durability. Measuring just 2¾ × 2¾ inches, it formed part of a larger service, likely for tea or coffee, reflecting the era's obsession with refined tableware among the aristocracy. Attributed to decorator Adam Bergdoll, the cup features charming motifs of birds perched among trees, hand-painted with vibrant enamels that capture nature's whimsy in exquisite detail. These pastoral scenes highlight Frankenthal's mastery of polychrome decoration, blending Rococo elegance with naturalistic precision—a signature of the factory's output before its closure in 1799 amid political upheaval. Today, this gift to the Metropolitan Museum of Art honors the legacy of collector Walter T. Rosen's mother. It invites us to appreciate how porcelain bridged art and daily luxury, embodying Enlightenment ideals of beauty and craftsmanship in a single, sip-sized treasure.