Images(2)

Teacup

Dateca. 1755

OriginAsia, China, Jingdezhen

MediumPorcelain, hard-paste

DimensionsOverall: 3in. (7.6cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number2011-65

DescriptionChinese porcelain handle-less teacup decorated with black enamel and gilding with the arms of Samuel Vaughan. The shield features two sets of arms, each bearing a chevron, the lefthand with dark ground and cherub heads. A human bust serves as the crest atop a twist. The interior rim is bordered by a gilt and black chain band.
Label TextSamuel and Sarah Vaughan owned at least three Chinese porcelain armorial services. The one represented by this teacup was ordered prior to their taking up permanent residence in America. An English merchant who owned property in England and America as well as sugar plantations in Jamaica, Vaughan married Sarah Hallowell of Boston in 1747.They moved to Philadelphia in 1783, likely taking these services there with them then. Vaughan was a supporter of American independence. Friends with Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, he served as vice president of the American Philosophical Society, and he designed the garden at the Pennsylvania State House (Independence Hall). The design on the teacup was copied directly from a bookplate which was engraved for Vaughan shortly after his marriage.
ProvenanceNortheast Auctions

Exhibition(s)