Cup and saucer 1771 - 1785

This cup and saucer were created in The Hague. Floral designs like these, so delicate and refined, were part of a broader visual language of luxury and status. But let's also think about what it means to paint these kinds of objects. Who was doing that labor, and what was their status? The artist takes the floral designs and uses them on fine tableware, a class marker. It is a fascinating tension between nature, the domestic, and social class. The painting of delicate flowers on porcelain also speaks to certain feminine ideals prevalent at the time. Consider how this object, seemingly so simple, encapsulates complex social dynamics. It transforms an intimate moment of personal consumption into a display of social and cultural values.