Soup Plate
Unknown Artist
1785–90
Medium
Porcelain
Dimensions
Diam. 9 1/4 in. (23.5 cm)
Classification
Soup plate
Culture
Chinese, for American market
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of James T. Woodward, 1910
Accession Number
10.149.52
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant soup plate, crafted in China for the American market between 1785 and 1790, exemplifies the height of 18th-century export porcelain. Produced during the early years of the United States, when trans-Pacific commerce flourished via ports like Canton, these pieces were prized luxury items for affluent American households. Adorned with a personalized coat of arms alongside delicate motifs of birds and flowers it reflects the customization that Chinese workshops offered to Western clients, blending Eastern craftsmanship with Western heraldry. The porcelain medium—fine, translucent whi...