Tureen with cover 1730 - 1740

This Tureen with Cover was crafted at the Meissen Manufactory, a pivotal institution in 18th-century Europe, renowned for its porcelain artistry. In this period, porcelain was not merely functional, it was a symbol of wealth, status, and power. Notice how the delicate floral designs draw from Asian motifs, reflecting the era's fascination with, and appropriation of, Eastern aesthetics. Yet, these motifs were reinterpreted through a European lens, subtly asserting a Western dominance over global trade and taste. The creation of pieces like this also relied on a complex hierarchy of labor, obscuring the contributions of many artisans whose names history has forgotten. Consider the labor and materials required to produce such an item. The mining, shaping, painting, and firing all point to the many bodies, often anonymous, that enabled its existence. The tureen is an object made for intimate domestic consumption, yet it speaks volumes about the broader structures of power and inequality that shaped its world.