Pilgrim Bottle
Medium
polished red stoneware, silver-gilt mounts
Dimensions
15.9 × 9.6 cm
Classification
Ceramic
Department
Decorative Art and Design
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
1951.451
Tags
gender unknown
About this artwork
Throughout the early 1700s porcelain was imported to Europe from China and Japan, until the correct formula to produce it was developed by Johann Friedrich Böttger and a collaborator, which led to the establishment of the Meissen factory in 1710. Red stoneware inspired by Chinese Yixing ware and white porcelain were produced in Meissen under Böttger. Its fine red stoneware was so hard that it could be polished on a lapidary’s wheel—as was the body of this bottle.