Cream jug
Medium
Hard-paste porcelain
Dimensions
Height: 3 in. (7.6 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
Swiss, Zurich
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1906
Accession Number
06.351
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate cream jug, produced around 1770 at the Zurich Pottery and Porcelain Factory with involvement from Johann Ehrenfriedler, represents an early achievement in Swiss hard-paste porcelain. Standing just three inches tall, the piece highlights the technical skill required to create durable, translucent ceramics that rivaled imported Chinese wares. Zurich’s factory, established in the 1760s, contributed to the growing European porcelain industry by adapting these demanding firing techniques to local tastes. The jug’s decoration, featuring men and floral motifs, reflects the lighthearted...