Sauceboat (one of a pair)
Medium
Soft-paste porcelain
Dimensions
Overall: 4 1/8 × 7 1/4 in. (10.5 × 18.4 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
British, possibly Worcester or Bow, London
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Luke Vincent Lockwood, 1939
Accession Number
39.140.184
Art Historical Context
This elegant sauceboat, one of a crafted around 1755, exemplifies the early ingenuity of British porcelain makers at either the Worcester factory or London's Bow Porcelain Factory. Produced during a golden age of European ceramics, it reflects Britain's drive to rival Chinese imports, which had captivated aristocrats with their translucent beauty. Soft-paste porcelain medium here—was a clever British innovation, blending clay, ground glass, and other materials fired at lower temperatures to mimic the prized hard-paste from Asia, though it was slightly less durable. Measuring just over 4 inche...
About the Artist
Worcester factory|Bow Porcelain 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...