Schotel 1775

This delicate ‘schotel,’ or saucer, was made in Loosdrecht, the Netherlands, from porcelain, and decorated with paint and gold. Porcelain is a challenging material to master, demanding great skill in forming, glazing, and firing. Here, it’s been used to create a refined surface for decoration. The vibrant purple landscape, likely painted by a specialist, shows a figure in a stylized natural setting. Notice the fine gold trim, adding a final touch of luxury. This saucer is not just a functional object; it’s a product of skilled labor, reflective of the social and economic context of its time. The Loosdrecht factory, like many others in 18th-century Europe, was established to produce porcelain in competition with imports from China. The creation of porcelain was a mark of economic and cultural sophistication, and each piece embodies the labor of miners, potters, painters, and gilders. Considering its materiality, making, and cultural context helps us appreciate the full significance of this object, challenging distinctions between fine art and craft.