Deksel van terrine 1759 - 1771

This is a terrine lid, made at the Weesper porcelain factory. Factories like this one were complex operations. First you had the extraction and preparation of the clay itself, which determined the whiteness and fineness of the final product. Then you had skilled modelers and mold-makers, who shaped the basic form. After this, a decorator would paint the surface. This example has a sprig of leaves and flowers, and a jaunty apple on top, all carefully rendered. The bright colors are then fixed in place through firing in a kiln, a highly skilled task. Porcelain like this wasn't just a beautiful luxury object; it was also a symbol of industrial organization. The division of labor required to produce these pieces reflected the changing social structures of the time, and new modes of consumption and the growth of market economies.