Saucer (one of 12) (part of a service)
ca. 1758–69
Medium
Soft-paste porcelain
Dimensions
Diameter (.23, .24, .27, .32): 5 1/4 in. (13.3 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
British, Chelsea
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Francis P. Garvan, in memory of Francis P. Garvan, 1954
Accession Number
54.163.32
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate saucer, one of twelve from a luxurious porcelain service, hails from the renowned Chelsea Porcelain Manuf in Britain, crafted around 1758–69. Measuring 5¼ inches in diameter, it's a prime example of soft-paste porcelain—a prized 18th-century innovation that mimicked the translucent glow of coveted Chinese wares before Europe's hard-paste formula was perfected. Chelsea, active in London from the 1740s to 1770, elevated British ceramics to fine art status, rivaling continental giants like Meissen. Adorned with vibrant motifs of birds and flowers, hand-painted in enamels, the sauce...
About the Artist
Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory · 1744–1784
**Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory** The Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory, Britain's pioneering porcelain enterprise, was founded around 1743 in Chelsea, London, by two Huguenot silversmiths: Nicholas Sprimont from Liège and Charles Gouyn. Sprimont, trained in Paris as a goldsmith before immigrating to England, brought his expertise in luxury metalwork to the venture, while Gouyn handled early sales th...