Gardener (one of a pair)
ca. 1770
Medium
Soft-paste porcelain
Dimensions
Overall: 6 1/2 × 2 3/4 in. (16.5 × 7 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
British
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Irwin Untermyer, 1964
Accession Number
64.101.778
Tags
Art Historical Context
This charming porcelain figurine, *Gardener (one of pair)*, crafted by the Worcester factory around 1770, exemplifies height of British ceramic artistry during the 18th century. Produced during the Dr. Wall period at Worcester—one of England's leading porcelain manufacturers—the piece is made from soft-paste porcelain a refined material that mimicked the prized Chinese hard-paste but was more affordable and versatile for domestic markets. Standing at just 6 1/2 inches tall, it captures the leisurely pursuits of the Georgian era, depicting a gardener amid flowers, likely paired with a female co...
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...