Moon flask with lily or floral motif (one of a pair)
1871
Medium
Bone china decorated with pâte-sur-pâte, enamel, and gilding
Dimensions
confirmed: 5 7/8 × 5 9/16 × 2 7/16 in. (14.9 × 14.1 × 6.2 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
British, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
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
2018.62.44
Art Historical Context
This exquisite moon flask, one of a pair produced by the renowned British firm Minton(s) in 1871, exemplifies the pinnacle of Victorian ceramic artistry from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire—the heart of England's pottery industry. Shaped like traditional Chinese moon flasks, which were prized antiques in 19th-century Europe, piece features a delicate lily or floral motif, rendered in bone china for its signature translucency and strength. At just under 6 inches tall, it was designed as a luxurious decorative object for affluent homes, blending Eastern inspiration with British innovation. The fl...
About the Artist
Minton(s) · 1793–2001
Minton is among the most distinguished names in the history of British ceramics, a firm whose two and a quarter centuries of production encompass everything from blue transfer-printed earthenwares to the most rarefied decorative porcelain of the Victorian age. The company was founded in 1793 by Thomas Minton (1765–1836) in Stoke-upon-Trent, Staffordshire — the heart of England's pottery industry. ...