Vase 1750 - 1761

This vase was produced at the Vauxhall factory, in London, sometime in the mid-18th century, crafted from soft-paste porcelain. Look closely and you'll see that the surface is decorated with a Chinoiserie scene painted in cobalt blue. The term ‘soft-paste’ is key here. To make porcelain in Europe, you needed to approximate the material used in China. Rather than the specific clay used in Asia, European potteries made their own blends, often including ground glass. This allowed them to be fired at a lower temperature. However, it also made the result more fragile. Soft-paste porcelain was more suited to decorative display than daily use, and the Vauxhall factory pitched its products to a middle-class market eager to emulate the gentry. This piece shows how so-called 'high' and 'low' culture were deeply enmeshed. On one hand, the vase speaks to global trade, class aspirations, and the skilled labor required to make and paint it. On the other, it testifies to the complex interplay of art, design, and craft in the 18th century.