Teapot, 1723 or 1724

  • Johann Gregor Höroldt, German, 1696-1775
  • Meissen Porcelain Manufactory, German, founded 1710

Hard-paste porcelain, vitreous enamel, gold; silver-gilt mounts

  • Overall: 5 × 4 1/4 × 6 1/2 inches (12.7 × 10.8 × 16.5 cm)

Founders Society Purchase, gift of Ruth Nugent Head and City of Detroit, by exchange

1992.43

Founded in 1710, Meissen (near Dresden) was the first European factory to produce hard-paste porcelain, in imitation of the Chinese and Japanese ceramics imported by the East India companies. Europeans in the eighteenth century made little distinction between the arts of China, Japan, Korea, and India, often combining elements of each in what later became known as “chinoiseries.” The introduction of chinoiseries at Meissen coincided with the arrival of the painter Johann Gregor Höroldt in 1720. At the request of Meissen's patron, Augustus the Strong, Höroldt imitated the decoration of Japanese porcelain, though in the form of whimsical chinoiseries rather than slavish copies. As on this teapot, Höroldt portrayed fanciful Chinese figures engaged in daily activities, such as hunting or making tea, within atmospheric landscapes. Framing the scenes are elegant scroll-work cartouches of gilding and iron-red and luster enamels. Exotic flowers copied from Japanese Kakiemon porcelains are scattered over the remaining surface of the teapot. Höroldt’s design sketchbook (the Schulz Codex) was the primary source for Meissen's decorators during the height of chinoiserie at the factory, ca. 1720–40.

Gertrude J. and Robert T. Anderson (Orlando, Florida, USA)

1992, sold by (Armin B. Allen, Inc.)

1992-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

Allen, A. 18th Century Meissen Porcelain from the Collection of Gertrude J. and Robert T. Anderson. Exh. cat., Orlando Museum of Art. Orlando, 1988-89, no. 18, (ill). You, Yao-Fen. “From Novelty to Necessity: The Europeanization of Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate.” In Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate: Consuming the World, ed. Yao-Fen You, Mimi Hellman, and Hope Saska. Exh. cat., Detroit Institute of Arts. Detroit, 2016, p. 46; 53 (ill.); 131, cat. 50.

Meissen Porcelain Manufactory; Johann Gregor Höroldt, Teapot, 1723 or 1724, hard-paste porcelain, vitreous enamel, gold; silver-gilt mounts. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase, gift of Ruth Nugent Head and City of Detroit, by exchange, 1992.43.