Bowl 1755 - 1775

This bowl was produced by the Meissen Manufactory, using a refined white porcelain known as hard-paste. Its delicate form and painted decoration speak to the incredible skill that Meissen was able to cultivate. Consider the incredible labor necessary to produce such an object: from the mining and preparation of the clay, to the precise hand-painting of the floral motifs, to the firing in high-temperature kilns. Porcelain production, as practiced at Meissen, was a complex operation involving many hands and specialized knowledge. This bowl represents a fascinating intersection of craft, design, and early industrial production. By examining the materials and making processes, we can understand the bowl not just as a beautiful object, but also as a product of its time, tied to wider social issues of labor, politics, and consumption.