Collection
/
Decorative Arts and Design

Cup and Saucer with arms of Gordon quartering Badenoch and Fraser

Chinese , for the English market

Caption

Chinese , for the English market. Cup and Saucer with arms of Gordon quartering Badenoch and Fraser, ca.1770. Porcelain, underglaze, glaze, polychrome overglaze enamels and gold enamel, cup: 2 x 3 1/4 in. (5.1 x 8.3 cm) saucer: 1 1/4 x 5 in. (3.2 x 12.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, The Helena Woolworth McCann Trade Procelain Collection, Gift of the Winfield Foundation, 55.10.115a-b.

Gallery

Not on view

Title

Cup and Saucer with arms of Gordon quartering Badenoch and Fraser

Date

ca.1770

Medium

Porcelain, underglaze, glaze, polychrome overglaze enamels and gold enamel

Classification

Ceramic

Dimensions

cup: 2 x 3 1/4 in. (5.1 x 8.3 cm) saucer: 1 1/4 x 5 in. (3.2 x 12.7 cm)

Credit Line

The Helena Woolworth McCann Trade Procelain Collection, Gift of the Winfield Foundation

Accession Number

55.10.115a-b

Frequent Art Questions

  • Are pieces like these where the term "fine china" comes from?

    Yes, exactly! Because the Chinese were the first to make porcelain, the material came to be called "china" in the West. Europeans were amazed by porcelain.; to them it was a mystery substance: pore-less, pure white, translucent when held to the light, and able to hold boiling hot water without cracking! In the late middle ages it was even believed that porcelain would neutralize poison.

  • Are these replicas?

    Just about everything you see in our museum is original pieces! Any replicas will be noted in the label. All of these ceramic pieces are centuries old, made in Europe and Asia.
    I'm curious, what would make you think they are replicas?
    Because they are in such good condition! I could not believe they are originals.
    It's true that ceramics will break if they are dropped, for example, but other than that they are very durable! Because of the high temperatures of the firing process, glazes keep their color and the clay bodies keep their shape.
    Our collection includes intact ceramics from as many as 5000 years ago!
    Thank you.

Have information?

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bkmcollections@brooklynmuseum.org.

Artists and makers

Chinese

30 works in the collection