Art Institute of Chicago

Sugar Caster with Cover (one of a pair)

Meissen Porcelain Factory

Date

c. 1737

Medium

Hard-paste porcelain, polychrome enamels, and gilding

Culture

Meissen

Department

Applied Arts of Europe

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

By the 17th century, many European nations were trading heavily in the Orient, importing such products as tea, chocolate, furniture, silk, and porcelain. The discovery in the 18th century of the secret method the Chinese used to make porcelain was one of the most important achievements of the royal Meissen porcelain factory near Dresden. The tureen from this centerpiece and stand with a pair of sugar casters, designed by Meissen's chief modeler, Johann Joachim Kändler, would have been filled with lemons. Very sculptural in quality, the ensemble is animated with Oriental figures, Buddhas, imaginary birds, antique masks, flowers, and insects.

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