Saucer

Date1752-1758

Artist/Maker Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory (1745-1769)

MediumPorcelain, Soft-paste

DimensionsDiam: 5 3/16"; H: 1 1/4"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1968-504,2

DescriptionFluted, soft-paste porcelain saucer. The hand-painted decoration consists of a branch of small flowers and leaves. The flowers have a yellow center and fade to purple. There is a line of gilding on the rim.
Label TextDishes with this style of botanical decoration are often referred to as Hans Sloane style porcelain. Sir Hans Sloane (1660-1753) practiced medicine and had a passion for studying nature. In 1713 he purchased a riverside manor in Chelsea which included the Chelsea Physic Garden. Sloane encouraged medical students and the Society of Apothecaries to study, record, and experiment with local and foreign species of plants at the garden. The Chelsea’s Hans Sloane style dishes are a result of the research conducted at the Chelsea Physic Garden.

These saucers are painted in a slightly less rigid way than most Chelsea porcelain with botanical ornament, but still clearly enough to identify the species--in this case, morning glories.
MarkingsAnchor painted red on reverse (Godden #868)
ProvenancePurchased from: Otto M. Wasserman, New York

Exhibition(s)