Milk jug with a couple in a landscape c. 1765 - 1770

This is a porcelain milk jug, its decoration painted by the Kaiserliche Porzellanmanufaktur. We see a couple in a landscape. It recalls the courtly love of the French Rococo. This jug reflects the craze for porcelain in 18th-century Europe. Porcelain was associated with wealth, luxury, and power. European rulers invested heavily in establishing their own porcelain factories, like the Kaiserliche Porzellanmanufaktur, to emulate and compete with Asian producers. These factories became symbols of national prestige and economic strength. The jug’s intricate design and delicate painting speak to the skill of the artisans. But it also speaks to the social hierarchy of the time, where such refined objects were made for and consumed by the elite. To fully understand an artwork like this milk jug, we delve into archival records of the porcelain factory, and the social and economic conditions of its production. By looking at the intersection of art, commerce, and society, we see how art objects reflect and shape the world around them.