Copyright: Rijks Museum: Open Domain
This is a porcelain tea service for two, likely made in Germany by the Kaiserliche Porzellanmanufaktur. This kind of tête-à-tête set encapsulates the ritualistic significance of tea drinking in European society. Tea became a symbol of refinement and social status. The elaborate designs, delicate porcelain, and the act of sharing tea became entrenched in the etiquette of bourgeois life. Tea services like this one facilitated intimate social interactions, reinforcing social bonds within a tightly knit community. The presence of the Kaiserliche Porzellanmanufaktur as the manufacturer highlights the institutional role in shaping artistic production and consumption. Court-sponsored porcelain factories produced objects that were not only functional but also served as symbols of imperial power and cultural authority. By examining archival materials, design catalogs, and socio-economic data, we can gain a deeper understanding of the intricate relationship between art, society, and institutional structures.
Comments
Empress Maria Theresa of Austria presented this tea service to the pastellist Jean Etienne Liotard, who had portrayed her eleven children in Vienna. The service was made in the Viennese porcelain factory, which had been established by Claudius Innocentius du Paquier in 1718; for this enterprise, he had lured workers away from Meissen. Maria Theresa took over the factory in 1744 and renamed it the Kaiserliche Porzellanmanufaktur.
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