Kop, beschilderd met groenten en vruchten omgeven door strooibloemen c. 1777 - 1790

This cup, painted with fruits and flowers, was created by the Porseleinfabriek Den Haag, though we don’t know precisely when. The factory existed in a time of vast shifts in the perception and production of art and craft. The cup’s imagery evokes themes of abundance and nature, yet we must consider who was able to possess such an object. These items were luxury goods, reflecting social class and status. The delicate painting speaks to a time when craftsmanship was highly valued, but also to a society deeply structured by hierarchies of access and opportunity. Consider the hands that crafted this cup, likely anonymous laborers, women or men, whose skill made such refined luxury possible, and imagine the hands that eventually held it. What did it mean to sip from such a vessel? What kind of stories could it tell?