Cup and saucer by Meissen Manufactory

Artwork details

Medium
painting, ceramic, porcelain
Dimensions
Height (Cup (.216)): 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm); Diameter (Saucer (.217)): 5 in. (12.7 cm)
Location
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Copyright
Public Domain

Tags

#painting#ceramic#porcelain#genre-painting#decorative-art#rococo

About this artwork

This porcelain cup and saucer was crafted by the Meissen Manufactory. Note the Rococo scene adorning it. Here, we see a lady sitting in nature. The lady is the dominant motif. The image of a seated woman, especially in a garden, recurs throughout history, echoing images of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. This motif can be traced to classical antiquity and is a symbol that represents beauty, fertility, and sensuality, a celebration of nature's bounty and feminine grace. However, unlike earlier examples, the woman here isn't a goddess. She is but a simple soul. In this way, this image marks a shift in the symbolic function of the female figure—away from the divine and toward the earthly, humanizing the sacred. The motif's cyclical progression continues, finding new life in everyday objects.

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