Teapot 1755 - 1765

This teapot was made by the Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory, which was established in 1747. Its delicate porcelain belies the dark and fantastical scenes depicted in silhouette. At first glance, we might read these as whimsical pastoral scenes of leisure and play. But consider the historical context: porcelain production was often directly linked to colonial expansion. The raw materials and the very styles of these objects speak to the global networks of trade and exploitation that defined the 18th century. The ownership of porcelain, like this teapot, became associated with the expression of wealth, taste, and belonging to a certain social class. These objects were often about maintaining strict social codes, but perhaps also, dreaming of something else. Can we read the figures on this teapot, with their devilish horns and whimsical pursuits, as a subtle form of escapism? It suggests that even within the confines of courtly life, there was an appetite to challenge the established norms. The beauty of this piece lies in its ability to invite a certain tension between tradition and transgression.