Kop, veelkleurig beschilderd met bloemboeket en strooibloemen 1759 - 1771

This is a cup, painted with flowers, made at the Weesper porcelain factory in the Netherlands, though the date of its making is unknown. The presence of porcelain in Europe is very much tied to the history of trade. The material first came from China, and it was only in the 18th century that Europeans learned how to make it themselves. Porcelain factories popped up all over the continent, often sponsored by royal families who saw the production of luxury goods as a matter of national prestige. The painting on this cup is an advertisement for Dutch identity and commerce. The prominent tulip is an explicit reference to Holland’s famous flower market. The history of art is replete with such examples of commercial messaging; in this case, one can imagine that cups like this helped to disseminate and entrench Dutch identity in the 18th century. By researching the business records of the Weesper factory, we can learn more about their distribution networks and their clientele, and perhaps better understand the social function of this cup.