Coffee Pot and Cover
1753 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Like the earlier ‘Medici porcelain’ works in Florence, the Doccia factory was founded by a nobleman who was himself closely involved in the technical side of making porcelain – the Marchese Carlo Ginori (1702-1757). Indeed, it is likely that the Marchese was aware of and admired ‘Medici porcelain’, as he occasionally used the same factory mark of the dome of Florence Cathedral.
Under Carlo Ginori, the factory undertook some remarkable experiments in porcelain production, including ambitious large figure sculptures, some of the earliest attempts at transfer-printing in underglaze cobalt blue, double-walled pierced cups inspired by Chinese Dehua brush pots, and useful wares like this coffee pot made for a service for Cardinal Giovanni Francesco Stoppani.
Stoppani was Nunzio in Tuscany from 1735 to 1739 and was a friend of Carlo Ginori. In a letter of 1752 he reminded Ginori that he had sent him a drawing with his family coat-of-arms, probably for reproduction on this service, and another letter dated December of the following year records the delivery of the service.
The painted decoration of the service, with naturalistically painted flowers and insects, is indebted to the Vienna Du Paquier factory. The distinctive shape of this coffee pot with its elongated neck, bird's head spout, bulbous body and domed cover, recalls Persian metalware coffee pots, water ewers and jugs.
Under Carlo Ginori, the factory undertook some remarkable experiments in porcelain production, including ambitious large figure sculptures, some of the earliest attempts at transfer-printing in underglaze cobalt blue, double-walled pierced cups inspired by Chinese Dehua brush pots, and useful wares like this coffee pot made for a service for Cardinal Giovanni Francesco Stoppani.
Stoppani was Nunzio in Tuscany from 1735 to 1739 and was a friend of Carlo Ginori. In a letter of 1752 he reminded Ginori that he had sent him a drawing with his family coat-of-arms, probably for reproduction on this service, and another letter dated December of the following year records the delivery of the service.
The painted decoration of the service, with naturalistically painted flowers and insects, is indebted to the Vienna Du Paquier factory. The distinctive shape of this coffee pot with its elongated neck, bird's head spout, bulbous body and domed cover, recalls Persian metalware coffee pots, water ewers and jugs.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Porcelain painted in enamel colours and gilt |
| Brief description | Coffee pot and cover bearing arms of Cardinal Giovanni Francesco Stoppani, Doccia, 1753 |
| Physical description | Coffee pot and cover bearing arms of Cardinal Giovanni Francesco Stoppani. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | Coffee pot
About 1753
Like many other 18th-century European porcelain factories, the Doccia manufactory in Florence was founded by a nobleman, the Marchese Carlo Ginori. Unlike other patrons, he was closely involved in the technicalities of making porcelain. This piece copies Middle Eastern coffee pots, reflecting coffee’s origins in the Ottoman Empire.
Italy (Florence)
Made at the Doccia porcelain factory
Porcelain painted in enamels and gilded
Painted with the arms of Cardinal Giovanni Francesco Stoppani
(09/12/2015) |
| Object history | Alessandro Biancalana writes in the Lokar collection catalogue (see below): 'This piece was part of a service ordered between 1752 and 1753 for Cardinal Gianfranco Stoppani, Apostolic Nuncio in Florence from 1735 to 1739 and is typical of a series of services with coats of arms made at Doccia from 1750 to 1755. Another such service was ordered by Cardinal Torrigiani, and like this one was also painted with realistic depictions of Eruopean flowers, indebted to models adopted by Claudius Innocentius Du Paquier.' |
| Summary | Like the earlier ‘Medici porcelain’ works in Florence, the Doccia factory was founded by a nobleman who was himself closely involved in the technical side of making porcelain – the Marchese Carlo Ginori (1702-1757). Indeed, it is likely that the Marchese was aware of and admired ‘Medici porcelain’, as he occasionally used the same factory mark of the dome of Florence Cathedral. Under Carlo Ginori, the factory undertook some remarkable experiments in porcelain production, including ambitious large figure sculptures, some of the earliest attempts at transfer-printing in underglaze cobalt blue, double-walled pierced cups inspired by Chinese Dehua brush pots, and useful wares like this coffee pot made for a service for Cardinal Giovanni Francesco Stoppani. Stoppani was Nunzio in Tuscany from 1735 to 1739 and was a friend of Carlo Ginori. In a letter of 1752 he reminded Ginori that he had sent him a drawing with his family coat-of-arms, probably for reproduction on this service, and another letter dated December of the following year records the delivery of the service. The painted decoration of the service, with naturalistically painted flowers and insects, is indebted to the Vienna Du Paquier factory. The distinctive shape of this coffee pot with its elongated neck, bird's head spout, bulbous body and domed cover, recalls Persian metalware coffee pots, water ewers and jugs. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.51-1931 |
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| Record created | March 9, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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