bottle
- Museum number
- Franks.33
- Description
-
Small Bottle of Chinese form; porcelain; wide bulbous body flattened on top; tall, slender neck expanded out at the base; painted in colours with a large butterfly on a flowering branch; small flowering branch at the back and two small flowers; chain of flowers round neck; mark on base.
- Production date
- 1730 (circa)
- Dimensions
-
Height: 6.75 centimetres
-
Width: 5 centimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- For a similar bottle, see Maureen Cassidy Geiger, 'Hof- Conditiorei and Court Celebrations in 18th Century Dresden' in International Ceramics Fair and Seminar 'Handbook', London, 2002, fig. 7b. This is one of three miniature Meissen flower vases after Chinese shapes in the Museum's collection. They may have held artificial flowers made from sugar, feathers or painted silk as decoration on the dessert table. See also Franks.34 and Franks.35, each is painted with a different table pattern, this one is in the 'Schmetterlings' or Butterfly pattern.
For a detailed discussion of the origins and history of the 'Schmetterlings' pattern, see Julia Weber,' Meißener Porzellane mit Dekoren nach ostasiatischen Vorbildern', vol. 2 (2013), pp. 344-56, and for two similar miniature vases, see no. 352. The decoration is based upon a Chinese famille-verte designs and the pattern was first produced in the 1730s. The 'K.H.C.' painted on the base for Königliche Hof-Conditorei confirms that they were stored in the Saxon Royal Court Pantries for use on the table.
- Location
- On display (G46/dc16)
- Condition
- Chip off side of neck rim.
- Acquisition date
- 1897
- Department
- Britain, Europe and Prehistory
- Registration number
- Franks.33
