Coffee cups (6) (part of a service) 1775 - 1795

Editor: We’re looking at a porcelain coffee cup and saucer, made sometime between 1775 and 1795 by the Caughley Factory. I’m really struck by the minimalist design and the delicacy of the porcelain. How would you interpret its appeal from a formalist perspective? Curator: The inherent structure dictates its success. Note how the artist utilized negative space on both pieces. The eye moves easily from the cascading festoons on the cup to the radiating lines and small botanical elements of the saucer, guided by subtle asymmetry and an intriguing interplay between black and white. How does the golden trim affect your perception? Editor: It gives it a touch of elegance, a sort of boundary or frame. But it feels so understated; like the design is mostly playing with only a few shades. Curator: Precisely. The limited palette focuses our attention on form. Examine the brushwork on the chains. Does the evenness or unevenness of the applied colour alter your experience? How does it impact the harmony of the pieces as a set? Editor: I can see how the chains create this dangling effect, but with such small shapes, they become more suggestive. And I never noticed how it mirrors with the saucer layout too. I’m going to stare at porcelain differently for a while! Curator: Indeed, noticing the construction itself lets us appreciate the pure structure of this set. And to question if its construction allows for function to become as interesting as aesthetics. It encourages further consideration of form and its function in all artistic endeavors.