Cup and saucer with a landscape c. 1770 - 1790

This cup and saucer with a landscape was made in the Kaiserliche Porzellanmanufaktur. Notice the imagery: a classical ruin, a figure in repose, framed by nature. Such scenes echo the pastoral fantasies popular since antiquity, evoking a longing for simpler times, an escape from the complexities of modern life. These motifs carry echoes of the Arcadian ideal, a vision of perfect peace and rustic contentment. These images, however, are not static. The ruin, a symbol of lost grandeur, contrasts with the vibrant life of the natural world, suggesting both decay and renewal. The figure, often a shepherd or wanderer, represents humanity's place within this cycle, caught between reflection and action. We see similar figures contemplating ruins in Renaissance paintings, a motif that recurs through the centuries, each time imbued with the anxieties and aspirations of its age. It is a potent reminder of our own mortality and the transient nature of human achievements. Thus, the cup and saucer, a seemingly simple object, becomes a vessel for profound cultural memories, continually reshaped and reinterpreted across time.