Box
ca. 1750–56
Medium
Soft-paste porcelain, silver
Dimensions
H. 1 1/16 in. (2.7cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
French, Mennecy
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of R. Thornton Wilson, in memory of Florence Ellsworth Wilson, 1950
Accession Number
50.211.124
Art Historical Context
This delicate "Box" from the Mency porcelain manufactory, crafted around 1750–56, exemplifies the exquisite luxury goods of France's Rococo era. Measuring just 1 1/16 inches (2.7 cm) tall, it was likely a snuffbox, patch box, or bonbon—intimate accessories for the aristocracy, who prized such trifles for their refinement and portability. Mennecy, a short-lived but innovative factory near Paris (active 1750–1773), specialized in soft-paste porcelain, a French secret formula blending clay, glass frit, and white ash to mimic costlier Chinese hard-paste porcelain before Sèvres dominated the market...