Vase with "lily pattern" (one of a pair)
Medium
Bone china
Dimensions
confirmed: 9 1/2 × 5 1/8 × 4 11/16 in., 1.4 lb. (24.1 × 13 × 11.9 cm, 650g)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
British, Worcester
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Helene Fortunoff and Robert Grossman, 2017
Accession Number
2018.62.75
Art Historical Context
This elegant vase, produced in 1879 by the Worcester factory in Britain, represents the refined taste of Victorian decorative arts. Crafted from bone china—a strong yet translucent porcelain developed in England—this piece is one of a pair decorated with a delicate “lily pattern.” Its modest scale, just over nine inches tall, suggests it was intended for display on a mantel or cabinet rather than practical use. The Worcester factory, long celebrated for technical excellence, helped establish Britain as a leader in fine ceramics during the nineteenth century. The choice of a lily motif reflect...
About the Artist
Worcester factory · 1751–2008
The Worcester porcelain factory, established in 1751 in Worcester, England, by physician Dr. John Wall and apothecary William Davis along with 14 partners, marked the birth of one of Britain's most enduring ceramic enterprises. Investing £4,500 at Warmstry House on the River Severn, the founders drew on contacts with the Bristol porcelain manufactory to develop a novel soft-paste porcelain using s...