Tea Bowl and Saucer
Matthäus Baur, II
c. 1700
Medium
Gilded silver and enameled copper
Dimensions
Saucer: 2.4 × 14.5 cm (15/16 × 5 11/16 in.); Tea bowl: 6.2 × 12.1 × 8.3 cm (2 7/16 × 4 3/4 × 3 1/4 in.)
Classification
drinking vessel
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
151563
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The complex enamel scenes on this tea service represent the four classical elements: air, earth, fire, and water. On one saucer Cybele, an Anatolian mother goddess who ruled over nature, personifies earth, while attendants present her with a bounty of animals, flowers, and fruit. The enamel’s pristine condition suggests that this tea service was rarely used; more likely, it was reserved for display as part of a collector’s cabinet.