Vase
Medium
Soft-paste porcelain
Dimensions
Height: 10 1/4 in. (26 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
British, Chelsea
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Howard Eric, 1940
Accession Number
40.177
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant vase from the Chelsea Por Manufactory, created between 1756 and 1760, exemplifies the height of mid-18th-century British porcelain artistry. Standing at 10¼ inches tall, it is crafted from soft-paste porcelain innovative European substitute for rare Chinese hard-paste porcelain. Chelsea, London's pioneering porcelain factory founded in the 1740s, mastered this frit-based material, firing it at lower temperatures to achieve a creamy translucency prized by collectors. During the factory's "gold anchor" period (c. 1756–1769), pieces like this vase featured exquisite hand-painted ena...
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...