Coffee or chocolate pot 1735 - 1750

This porcelain coffee or chocolate pot was made by the Meissen Manufactory in Germany. Its elegant form and monochrome decoration speak to the rise of European porcelain production in the 18th century, fueled by colonial trade and a growing taste for luxury goods. Note the detailed maritime scene framed within ornate borders. It depicts figures onshore observing a ship, an image that evokes global trade routes, and perhaps even military expeditions. Meissen porcelain, established under royal patronage, became a symbol of status and refinement, but also participated in the economic systems of the time. The imagery is not just decorative; it is a reflection of the culture of the time. The trading ships are a visual code to a lifestyle that relied on colonialism. Historians can delve into period documents like trade records, factory inventories, and aristocratic household accounts. This research reveals how objects like this pot were both expressions of artistic skill and participants in the social and institutional structures of their time. The meaning of art is contingent on the society of its time, a society that should be studied.