Vase
ca. 1755
Medium
Soft-paste porcelain
Dimensions
Height: 12 1/2 in. (31.8 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
British, Chelsea
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Alfred Duane Pell, 1902
Accession Number
02.6.254a, b
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant vase from the Chelsea Por Manufactory, dating to around 1755, exemplifies height of early British porcelain production. Crafted from softaste porcelain—a European innovation blending clay with ground glass or frit to mimic coveted Chinese hard-paste porcelain piece stands 12½ inches tall. Chelsea, established in the 1740s near London, was among Britain's pioneering factories, fueled by a national passion for luxury ceramics during the rococo era. The vase's delicate form and presumed decoration of birds amid blooming flowers reflect the playful, naturalistic motifs popular in mid...
About the Artist
Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory · 1744–1784
**Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory** The Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory, Britain's pioneering porcelain enterprise, was founded around 1743 in Chelsea, London, by two Huguenot silversmiths: Nicholas Sprimont from Liège and Charles Gouyn. Sprimont, trained in Paris as a goldsmith before immigrating to England, brought his expertise in luxury metalwork to the venture, while Gouyn handled early sales th...