Cup (trembleuse) with a Chinese man in a fenced garden near a pavilion c. 1730 - 1735

This delicate cup was made at the Du Paquier factory in Vienna from hard-paste porcelain. It's painted with a scene of a Chinese man in a garden, reflecting the fashion for Chinoiserie that swept Europe in the 18th century. Porcelain itself was a luxury, the closely guarded secret of its manufacture having arrived in Europe only a few decades before this cup was made. The cup's thin walls, smooth texture, and pure white color testify to the skill involved in forming and firing the clay, as well as the highly specialized knowledge of materials. Consider, too, the labor involved in painting the cup. The fine lines and delicate colors required a steady hand and keen eye, the artisans decorating these wares were highly skilled. This cup thus speaks to the global flow of materials, knowledge, and people that characterized the early modern period, and to the complex relationship between art, craft, and commerce.