Wine pot in the shape of a peach (cadogan type) 1720 - 1730

This wine pot in the shape of a peach was made at the Meissen Manufactory, famous for its porcelain production, likely sometime in the 18th century. It’s made of hard-paste porcelain, a material first perfected in Europe at Meissen, and decorated with colorful enamels and gilding. The pot's form imitates a peach, complete with leafy details, while pastoral scenes are painted onto its surface. This combination of naturalism and artistic intervention speaks to the broader context of luxury production at the time. Porcelain was highly prized and sought after, linking craft skill with elite consumption. Notice, too, the ‘cadogan’ type construction, meaning that it fills from the bottom. This would have been a complex piece to produce, requiring sophisticated mold-making skills, slip-casting, and multiple firings in the kiln. Such objects blur the boundaries of fine art, craft, and design, reminding us that the concept of 'art' has always been closely linked to the social status of those who make and consume it.