Tea Bowl
ca. 1720-1727 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This tiny tea bowl indicates how special and expensive tea was in the early 1700s. It was consumed increasingly as part of social gatherings and valued for its medicinal qualities as well as for refreshment. The shape and decoration imitate Chinese examples.
This particular item bears the 'Venezia' mark, making it an important documentary piece from this factory, despite its small size. Pieces made at Vezzi, the earliest Venetian factory, are in any case rare, as it was in production for less than ten years.
This particular item bears the 'Venezia' mark, making it an important documentary piece from this factory, despite its small size. Pieces made at Vezzi, the earliest Venetian factory, are in any case rare, as it was in production for less than ten years.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Hard-paste porcelain painted with underglaze blue and enamels |
| Brief description | Tea bowl of hard-paste porcelain, painted with underglaze blue with enamel details, Vezzi porcelain factory, Venice, ca. 1720-1727. |
| Physical description | Teabowl of hard-paste porcelain painted in underglaze blue with enamel details in red and lime green. Of shallow oriental shape, everted at the rim and raised on a foot rim, and decorated with vignettes of leaves and flowers alternating with small grouped towers and large exotic birds in flight. Inside the base is a small flowering plant, also in underglaze blue with details in red enamel, and a single blue line inside the rim. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'Venezia' (On the base, inscribed in underglaze blue) |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Given by A.L.B. Ashton, Esq. through Art Fund |
| Object history | The 'Venezia' mark makes this a rare documentary piece of early 18th century Italian porcelain. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This tiny tea bowl indicates how special and expensive tea was in the early 1700s. It was consumed increasingly as part of social gatherings and valued for its medicinal qualities as well as for refreshment. The shape and decoration imitate Chinese examples. This particular item bears the 'Venezia' mark, making it an important documentary piece from this factory, despite its small size. Pieces made at Vezzi, the earliest Venetian factory, are in any case rare, as it was in production for less than ten years. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.92-1928 |
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| Record created | January 20, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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