Saucer (part of a service) 1765 - 1775

This porcelain saucer, part of a larger service, was produced by the Frankenthal Porcelain Manufactory. It offers a glimpse into the intersection of art, industry, and social status. The detailed landscape painted onto the saucer creates meaning through visual codes. In 18th century Europe, porcelain was a highly prized material, associated with wealth and refinement. Objects such as this saucer were luxury goods, accessible only to the upper classes. The Frankenthal factory, like others in Europe, benefited from technical knowledge illicitly obtained from earlier Chinese manufacturers, a kind of industrial espionage. Institutions such as royal courts directly influenced artistic production, as porcelain factories often relied on aristocratic patronage. Art historians study surviving documents from the porcelain factories to understand the social and economic conditions of their making. A piece like this is contingent on its historical context, revealing cultural values, class distinctions, and the circulation of knowledge in the 1700s.