Saucer 1759 - 1762

Curator: This is a delicate porcelain saucer, made by the Frankenthal Porcelain Manufactory, currently residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. It measures about 13.5 centimeters in diameter. Editor: It feels… almost ghostly. That pale porcelain and the gray, feathery figures give it an ethereal quality, like a memory. Curator: Porcelain's rise in Europe reflects significant socio-economic shifts, moving luxury from aristocratic exclusivity toward wider markets. These porcelains were often decorated to reflect courtly life. Editor: I see riders, a procession... it feels celebratory, but restrained. Is that intentional, I wonder? A kind of elegant propaganda on a teacup? Curator: Precisely. Objects like these served as potent symbols of status and taste, subtly reinforcing social hierarchies. Editor: So much history packed onto something so small. Makes you wonder about all the stories it's held, all the hands it's passed through. Curator: Indeed. Its presence in this museum prompts questions about trade, empire, and the evolving nature of art's function. Editor: Just imagine the conversations this piece has overheard! Thank you for that context. Curator: My pleasure. It is a privilege to analyze these pieces, and reflect on their impact.