Vase (one of a pair)
ca. 1765–70
Medium
Soft-paste porcelain
Dimensions
Height: 9 1/4 in. (23.5 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
British, Chelsea
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of John L. Cadwalader, 1914
Accession Number
14.58.73
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant vase, created around 1765–70 by the Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory, exemplifies the refined taste of mid-eighteenth-century Britain. Standing just over nine inches tall, the soft-paste porcelain vessel was designed as one of a matching pair, likely intended for display on a mantel or cabinet. Its surface features delicate painted motifs of birds, butterflies, and flowers, rendered in soft colors that highlight the factory’s skill in naturalistic decoration. The Chelsea factory, active from 1743 to 1770, was among England’s foremost producers of soft-paste porcelain, a material pri...
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...