Toilet box containing four smaller boxes
ca. 1761
Medium
Soft-paste porcelain, Mazarin blue ground with gold decoration
Dimensions
Overall (confirmed): 2 1/8 × 6 1/2 × 5 13/16 in. (5.4 × 16.5 × 14.8 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
British, Chelsea
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Irwin Untermyer, 1964
Accession Number
64.101.499a–j
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the opulent world of 18-century British elegance with this exquisite *Toilet box containing four smaller*, crafted by the renowned Chelsea Porcelain Manuf around 1761. Made of soft-paste porcelain—a pioneering English innovation that mimicked the prized Chinese hard-paste—this compact treasure measures just over 2 inches high and 6½ inches wide. Its rich Mazarin blue ground a deep cobalt hue inspired by French luxury wares, is lavishly accented with intricate gold decoration featuring peacocks and flowers, evoking the playful Rococo style popular among the aristocracy. Chelsea, one ...
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...