Milk Jug from Solitaire Set c. 1785

This delicate milk jug was produced by the Höchst Porcelain Factory in Germany, sometime in the second half of the 18th century. Höchst was one of a number of porcelain factories that sprang up in Europe in the wake of the discovery of the secrets of hard-paste porcelain production, previously only known in China. The jug’s decoration speaks volumes about the values of its time. The two swans depicted on the jug are a coded reference to marital love and fidelity, popular among the upper classes of the day. These images were meant to indicate certain virtues on the part of the owner of the jug, and a certain level of social status. To understand the importance of these objects we must study the social history of luxury goods in 18th century Europe, using sources like trade records, factory inventories, and even personal letters. This helps us understand the changing social and cultural meanings of art.