Meissen Porcelain Manufactory
German, 1710–present
Cup and Saucer
c. 1740–45
The painting on this cup shows an upper-class couple touring a silver mine. On the saucer, a miner sifts earth over a large wooden tub. The porcelain painter Bonaventura Gottlieb Hauer, a miner’s son from Freiburg, drew on his familiarity with the industry to produce these vivid scenes. The decorations were particularly appropriate given that the primary patron of the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory, King August III of Poland, derived much of his income from silver mining.
| Medium | hard-paste porcelain |
| Dimensions | Height of cup: 2 11/16 in. (6.8 cm); diameter: 2 3/4 in. (7 cm) Saucer: 1 3/16 x 5 1/4 x 5 1/4 in. (3 x 13.3 x 13.3 cm) |
| Object Number | 1955.1196a-b |
| Acquisition | Acquired by Sterling and Francine Clark before 1955 |
| Status | On View |
Image Caption
Meissen Porcelain Manufactory, Cup and Saucer, c. 1740–45, hard-paste porcelain. Clark Art Institute, 1955.1196a-b
