A Meissen Rococo Teacup, circa 1760
This elegant Meissen teacup is moulded with rococo scrollwork gilt-edged cartouches, finely painted with ornithological scenes (Vögelmalerei). A Eurasian bullfinch and a golden oriole perch on leafy stems in a landscape populated with historic buildings, including a prominent castellated tower. The reverse is painted with a flamboyant cockerel and a speckled hen (Hahn und Henne) beside a gnarled tree and a traditional woven wicker poultry coop (Hühnerkorb). To the left, a river winds past a church and other buildings. The well of the cup is painted with a bouquet of colourful flowers, including a divergent tulip. Floral sprigs also decorate the spaces between the two cartouches. Gilt dentil border to the interior rim. The handle is of an elaborate rococo form, moulded with chevrons and highlighted with gilt details.
Crossed swords mark in underglaze blue, and a small incised x or cross within the foot rim.
Dimensions: Width 8.3 cm; Height 4.7 cm.
Condition: The painted decoration is especially fine and attractive. There is a break through the upper handle terminal which is likely to have originated from a manufacturing flaw. The handle has not been off and remains entirely stable, with no movement. There are a few small chips to the rim, a couple of which have been re-gilded. The foot rim has a chip on the inside edge alongside a few tiny nicks. Very minor wear to the gilt decoration in places. From manufacture, there is a pinhole below the cockerel’s tail feathers.
18th-Century German Porcelain, George Savage (Rockliff, 1958).
SOLD