Cleveland Museum of Art

Caster (Saupoudreuse)

Saint Cloud Porcelain Factory

Date

c. 1732–38

Medium

soft-paste porcelain, silver mount

Culture

France, Saint Cloud, 18th century

Department

Decorative Art and Design

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This cylindrical caster with a removable pierced cover may have held sugar. It likely derives its form from silver casters manufactured pre-1700. Its all-white, molded, prunus branch decorations are characteristic of blanc de chine, the term used in France to reference the highly prized porcelain produced in the southeastern Fujian province of Dehua, China, known for its pure color and high degree of translucence. Prunus branches, which refer to flowering trees and shrubs including plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, and almonds, were a common motif in Chinese porcelain.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.