Cup 1765 - 1775

This delicate cup, crafted by the Doccia Porcelain Manufactory between 1737 and 1896, offers a glimpse into the aesthetic values and social dynamics of its time. During this period, porcelain was a coveted material, symbolizing wealth and refinement. The cup is adorned with classical figures, rendered in a soft, muted palette. These figures, reminiscent of ancient Greek or Roman imagery, speak to the era's fascination with classical antiquity, but also to the gendering of leisure. The scene invokes a pastoral ideal but it also raises questions about who has the privilege to occupy these idealized spaces, and the labor that makes such leisure possible. Who are these figures? What is the nature of their relationship? Consider the cup not just as a vessel, but as a subtle reflection of the social hierarchies and cultural aspirations of its era, a time when the art of crafting and consuming such objects was deeply intertwined with the theater of class and identity.