Cup

Object Type
By the 1680s British people were consuming three stimulating new beverages: tea, coffee and chocolate. These drinks were very expensive, so small vessels were used. New shapes were invented and made in a variety of materials. The wealthy preferred silver and gold, while the less-affluent used ceramics. The insulating properties of pottery and porcelain made them particularly suitable for warm drinks, although drinking scalding tea or coffee from a cup without a handle could still be uncomfortable. For this reason, handled cups became fashionable.

Place
This cup was made at the Dehua kilns in south-east China. The Dehua kilns were close to ports from which great quantities of goods were shipped to the West. For several hundred years prior to the late 17th century they had made teawares for the domestic market. Because of their trade links they were also skilled at copying strange foreign shapes.

Time
The shape of this cup is very similar to capuchines (coffee cups) made by English pottery firms in the 1680s and 1690s.