Moon flask
Medium
Bone china
Dimensions
confirmed: 8 3/16 × 6 7/8 × 3 1/4 in., 17.635oz. (20.8 × 17.5 × 8.3 cm, 500g)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
British, Worcester
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Helene Fortunoff and Robert Grossman, 2017
Accession Number
2018.62.72
Art Historical Context
This elegant moon flask, produced by the renowned Worcester factory in 1878, exemplifies the refined artistry of British porcelain during the Victorian era. Crafted from bone china—a durable yet translucent material invented in England in the 18th century—the piece showcases the factory’s mastery of delicate forms and luminous glazes. Its distinctive flattened, circular shape draws inspiration from Persian and Islamic metalwork, reflecting the period’s fascination with exotic cultures and global trade influences. As a product of Worcester, one of Britain’s leading porcelain manufacturers sinc...
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...