Milk jug with a bouquet and flower sprays c. 1800 - 1849

This delicate milk jug with a bouquet and flower sprays was created by the Kaiserliche Porzellanmanufaktur. This object invites us to consider the European fascination with porcelain, once dubbed "white gold". Porcelain's value resided not only in its beauty, but also its association with wealth, class, and power. Milk jugs such as this one were not merely functional; they were potent signifiers of social status, displayed in bourgeois homes to communicate refinement and taste. The floral decoration, while seemingly innocuous, speaks to the complex relationship between humans and nature, a popular theme for artists and patrons from the 18th century onwards. Moreover, the flowers naturalistically painted on the jug evoke the tradition of floral painting by female artists, who were often limited to this genre. Ultimately, this object becomes a lens through which we can examine our own relationship to value, beauty, and the stories we tell ourselves about class and taste.