Teapot with cover 1715 - 1745

This porcelain teapot with cover was made by Meissen Manufactory. Notice the pastoral scene painted on its side, a shepherdess with her staff, a motif deeply rooted in European art and literature. She stands as a symbol of idealized rural life, echoing the ancient Greco-Roman theme of Arcadia. The shepherdess, however, is not merely a figure of idyllic simplicity; she is a carrier of complex emotions and desires. The imagery here has traversed time, re-emerging during periods of cultural longing for simpler times. From classical antiquity to Rococo Europe, the pastoral motif surfaces, taking on new layers of meaning as societies grapple with changing realities. Think of the 18th-century French court, where Marie Antoinette herself played at being a shepherdess in the gardens of Versailles, escaping, perhaps, the complexities of royal life. This teapot is a fascinating vessel, not just for tea, but for the transmission of symbols across time.