Botanical plate with spray of fruiting fig 1750 - 1760

This botanical plate, displaying a spray of fruiting fig, was produced by the Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory sometime between 1744 and 1784. The plate’s milky white surface is made from soft-paste porcelain, a challenging material to work with. Porcelain, with its delicacy and translucence, came to Europe from China, and the secrets of its making were initially unknown. The Chelsea factory, like others of its era, sought to replicate it using formulas involving ground glass. The result was beautiful, but prone to cracking during firing. The botanical decoration is painted onto the surface with great precision. Each leaf and fruit is meticulously rendered, showing both scientific accuracy and artistic flair. Such wares were luxury goods, emblems of elite status and taste. Porcelain factories relied on a division of labor, with some workers dedicated to shaping the clay, others to firing, and still others to painting. This contrasts with earlier craft models, and anticipates modern modes of industrial production. Appreciating this plate means considering not only its aesthetic qualities, but the complex social context of its making.