Sugar Bowl with Cover
c. 1815
Medium
Porcelain with polychrome enamels and gilding
Dimensions
12.7 × 16.5 × 10.8 cm (5 × 6 1/2 × 4 1/4 in.)
Classification
sugar bowl
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
15017
Art Historical Context
This elegant sugar bowl with cover, crafted around 1815 by the renowned Wedgwood Manufactory, exemplifies the refined taste of early 19th-century European households. Produced in porcelain adorned with polychrome enamels and delicate gilding, the piece measures just over five inches tall, making it both functional and ornamental. As a product of one of Britain’s most innovative ceramic firms, it reflects the era’s expanding trade in luxury goods, when sugar—still a costly import—deserved presentation in finely decorated vessels. Wedgwood’s mastery of porcelain techniques allowed for vibrant, ...
About the Artist
Wedgwood Manufactory
Wedgwood Manufactory, founded on 1 May 1759 by Josiah Wedgwood in Burslem, Staffordshire, England, revolutionized ceramics during the Industrial Revolution. Born into a family of potters, Josiah apprenticed under his elder brother Thomas at the Churchyard Works from age 14, mastering traditional techniques before partnering with Thomas Whieldon from 1754 to 1759, where he honed innovative glazes. ...