Cup 1774 - 1814

Curator: The Harvard Art Museums hold this delicate object: a cup manufactured by Meissen Porcelain. It’s adorned with floral motifs. What's your take? Editor: It feels incredibly fragile, doesn't it? The thinness of the porcelain, those hand-painted flowers... almost too precious for everyday use. Curator: Meissen porcelain represented status and wealth, initially reserved for European aristocracy. Its production relied on labor practices tied to the manufactory system. Editor: It is interesting to imagine who owned it, what kind of social rituals it might have been part of. Porcelain was instrumental in shaping social interactions and class distinctions. Curator: Exactly. The cup’s existence also represents the appropriation of Chinese porcelain techniques. It became a powerful symbol of European power and trade. Editor: So much history embedded in this little thing. It transcends its simple function. Curator: Indeed. It invites us to ponder the larger systems of production and social order that created it. Editor: A reminder that even the most delicate objects carry stories of labor, power, and ambition.