Deksel van theepot, beschilderd eikels en bladertakken c. 1778 - 1782

This teapot lid, made in Loosdrecht, is decorated with painted acorns and leafy branches. It’s porcelain, which requires great skill to form and fire successfully, and the delicate painting would have been executed by specialized artists. Porcelain was sometimes referred to as “white gold”, and that’s a good way to think about it – not just in terms of its monetary value, but also the intense labor and global supply chains required to produce it. The kaolin clay, the refining processes, the firing, the decoration – these all had significant costs, and the finished product was priced accordingly. Even though this object looks purely decorative, it speaks volumes about social class and the value that was once placed on finely made things. Such a lid was not simply a functional object, but a display of economic power. It represents a world in which artistry and high material value went hand in hand. It reminds us to appreciate the multilayered meaning of what might appear to be a humble object.