Teapot with cover (part of a service) 1715 - 1725

This is a porcelain teapot with cover, made by the Meissen Manufactory. Although it is undated, we can assume it was produced sometime after the factory was established in Germany in 1710. We see imagery of gilded birds and floral decoration against a white background. Such imagery was created at a time when tea was becoming more widely consumed in Europe and when porcelain was also becoming more readily available. With its elaborate decoration this teapot suggests the rituals of elite society, in which tea was associated with delicate refinement. Historians are interested in this sort of object because it serves as a cultural document, and with the aid of extensive archival material it’s possible to understand what role objects such as this had in the lives of people at a specific place and time.